Bomb Squad Destroys Suspected Unexploded Ordnance At Openlands Lakeshore Preserve

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A suspected military device was discovered at the Openlands Lakeshore at Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve Saturday, about two months after the site reopened to the public.

A couple walking along the water spotted the item, which appeared to be an old, rusted piece of unexploded ordnance, and reported it to the authorities.

Local police then contacted Lake County Forest Preserve officials, who took over operation of the site earlier this year.

"To be safe, we called the bomb squad to access the situation," Executive Director Ty Kovach told Patch.

Kovach said the approximately footlong device appeared to have washed up on a "remote area of the shoreline" during high tide.

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"The couple walking along the shoreline did the right thing in notifying police," he said.
The bomb squad destroyed the device after securing a large perimeter, and the preserve remained open to the public throughout, according to the executive director.

"What happened Saturday illustrates why we do not allow swimming or even wading along the shoreline," Kovach said in an email. "Safety is always our No. 1 priority."

Located in unincorporated Moraine Township on part of the former Fort Sheridan Army Base, the Openlands Preserve was closed to the public for nearly two and a half years following the discovery of unexploded ordnance there in April 2021.

The not-for-profit Openlands transferred ownership of the 77-acre site to the county over the summer following the completion of a Historic Document Review and Field Investigation Report, which was obtained by Patch through a public records request.

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Produced by the consultancy Tetra Tech for the U.S. Navy, the report found there was a low but "residual" risk of discovering more potentially explosive devices. Nonetheless, safety precautions are followed, the potential risks can be "mitigated to an acceptable level."

To that end, the area now includes signs in English and Spanish notifying the public that it is prohibited to go into the water and stressing the "3R" safety campaign, encouraging people to "recognize" potential unexploded ordnance, "retreat" from it and "report" it to authorities.

"What happened Saturday illustrates why we do not allow swimming or even wading along the shoreline," Kovach said. "Safety is always our No. 1 priority."

Related:

• No 'Unacceptable Risk' To Users Of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve: Navy
• Openlands To Gift Lakeshore Preserve To Lake County Forest Preserves
• Navy's Openlands Explosives Report, Reopening Recommendations Complete