If you have considered camping but didn’t know where to start, the Forest Preserve District of Will County has a solution.
It is launching a new program — No Gear, No Problem — in which people can rent the equipment they need and spend a night or two in the safety of the forest preserves. It is designed to encourage people to camp in the woods, be close to home, and not worry about supplies, officials said.
The rental fee was part of a new fee structure for 2019 that was recently approved by the board of commissioners. While most fees remained the same – such as those for dog parks and facility rentals — some were increased and a few were eliminated.
The district expects to bring in $295,000 from revenue generated by its fees in 2018, with dog parks accounting for most of that, $105,000, while picnic and camping permits brought in $54,000, and facility rentals $82,000, according to district figures.
Camping is allowed at Forked Creek Preserve, Goodenow Grove, Hammel Woods, McKinley Woods and Messenger, according to the district’s website.
The camping areas were reserved only 49 percent of the available weekends in 2017 and 2018, and surveys revealed that the main reasons people don’t camp are a lack of equipment, lack of knowledge on what equipment is needed, where to camp, and how to prepare meals, according to officials, But campers also want to feel safe and be able to plug in cell phones, and other portable electronic devices while camping, the surveys revealed.
The No Gear, No Problem program will provide equipment that was formerly used as part of the camping program at the Environmental Learning Center, and can be rented in two-person or four-person packages or separately. The package includes tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, rechargeable lantern, cooking fire starting kit, and cooking utensils.
Fees for campsites were increased slightly to $20 from $15 per night for Will County residents, and to $40 from $30 for non-residents.
The forest preserve district also is planning several improvements to make campsites more attractive including, new trash and recycling receptacles and fire rings, lantern hooks, new campsite identification markers, solar powered charging stations, and landscaping and mulch.
The board also recently approved fee hikes for picnic groves and shelters, which were last raised in 2005.
Renting a picnic grove was increased to $45 from $35 for county residents and to $90 from $70 for non-residents. Fees for picnic shelters were upped to $70 from $60 for residents, and to $140 from $120 for non-residents, according to the fee schedule.
Fees for special requests were eliminated, for items such as generators, inflatables, food trucks, smokers, tents or amplified music. Officials said that will streamline the on-line reservation process for patrons.
The board also eliminated full day fees for canoe and kayak rentals and increased the hourly and half-day rentals. Hourly rates were raised to $10 from $7, and half-day rentals to $30 from $25.
A fee for commercial photography was eliminated and is now included with the business permit fee, which is $25 per hour. That includes photographers who take pictures in the preserves and charge customers for their services.
Business fees apply to a person, company, or an organization charging customers for activities such as fitness and yoga classes, nature schools and camps. The permits are not issued to businesses that want to sell products on site, or solicit people who are using the preserves, officials said.
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