Chicago couple preserved 126 acres in Illinois for decades; now it’s becoming a public preserve

Representative image from Canva In the 1980s, Dr. Shin Theke Kang and his wife, Tae Sue Kang, made a long-term decision to protect a piece of land in southwestern Will County, Illinois, rather than develop it. Over the decades, the Chicago couple restored former agricultural areas, planted thousands of trees and cared for the woodland along Horse Creek. Now, all 126 acres have been acquired by the Forest Preserve District of Will County and will become Horse Creek Preserve, Kang Woodland. The announcement, reported by WJOL, marks the transition of a privately protected landscape into a public natural area. The property contains more than 32,000 surviving trees, including black walnut, oak, maple, ash, pine and cherry, as well as a historic bur oak believed to be hundreds of years old. The new preserve will carry the family name as a lasting tribute to their conservation efforts.A different decision in the 1980sWhen Dr. Shin Theke Kang and Tae Sue Kang acquired the Illinois property, they could have viewed it as land for future development or agricultural use. Instead, they chose to preserve it.The couple began protecting the property in the 1980s, when much of the surrounding lands...