On March 11, the Lake County Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners approved two land acquisitions totaling about 38.3 acres.

The larger 24.9-acre acquisition, known as the Goshgarian property, sits on Nippersink Road about one-third of a mile west of Fairfield Road. The $923,000 purchase will expand Kestrel Ridge Forest Preserve in Round Lake.

The acquisition extends the boundary of the preserve to Nippersink Road and will protect nearly 500 feet of Manitou Creek. The land includes pocket wetlands and mature trees, including red and white oaks and shagbark hickories.

“This property adds important natural features and improves access to the preserve,” Ken Jones, director of land preservation, said in a news release. “It appears to have retained elements of older forest, with native species naturally regenerating beneath the canopy.”

The property owners will continue living in their home on about 1.4 acres under a life estate.

The board also approved the purchase of about 13.4 acres in Fremont Township to expand Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. The $3,994,100 acquisition is known as the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church property.

The site, which has been of interest to the Forest Preserves for more than 20 years, is surrounded by existing preserve land and is located on Fairfield Road about a quarter mile north of Route 176, adjacent to the Lakewood Off-Leash Dog Area.

The property operates as a seminary and includes dormitories, apartments and a gymnasium. The Forest Preserves will evaluate how the buildings could support operational needs in the future.

“There are many possibilities for how these buildings could support our work,” natural resources director Pati Vitt said in the release. “For example, the gymnasium already has a large cooler and could provide valuable space for seed storage.”

“These acquisitions strengthen two important preserves and protect land to benefit both wildlife and residents,” Forest Preserves President Jessica Vealitzek said in the release. “They show how thoughtful land protection today will shape Lake County’s landscapes for generations.”