Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance leaves living legacy in Downers Grove

When the futures of rare natural habitats and historic homes were threatened, stepping up to strengthen the ranks of volunteer preservationists were members of the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance, who are taking a breather after decades of service to Downers Grove and are passing the torch of community activism.

Leading up to its incorporation as a nonprofit in 1996, the roots of the organization named after the village founder date back to the 1980s, and the imperiled cause to save Lyman Woods from development.

“The folks who founded the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance were essential in insuring that Lyman Woods was preserved,” said Ken Lerner of Downers Grove, who chaired the organization from 2010 until it formally dissolved this year.

Lerner’s about to be honored by the Downers Grove Historical Society as the 2025 Historian of the Year at the annual event, “A Night at the Tivoli,” on April 30.

In a farewell letter on the Pierce Downer’s Heritage Alliance website, the officers signed off. In addition to Lerner, they include Chris Saricks, chair pro tem; Mark Bragen, secretary; Gordon Goodman, treasurer and newsletter editor; and directors Marge Earl and Rich Kulovany.

“It has been our privilege to serve the Downers Grove community as an advocate for the preservation of natural and historic resources,” they wrote.

Indeed, it’s been a labor of love by an organization that brought together people whose varied skills and expertise were paired with the requisite passion and patience to fight many a battle fraught with setbacks before progress was achieved, the group amassing an impressive track record along the way.

The Downers Grove Park District describes Lyman Woods as 150 acres of oak woods, prairie and marsh habitats that support more than 300 species of native plants. It includes glacially deposited hills and a 19-acre oak woods that has remained undisturbed since its purchase by the Lyman family in 1839.

Another PDHA project helped save Belmont Prairie at Gelwicks Park, one of the last original prairies in Illinois.

Kulovany, a former village commissioner, said his family has called Downers Grove home for six generations.

“I didn’t even know that Belmont Prairie was there; it [was] a somewhat hidden gem,” Kulovany said, adding PDHA would go on to arrange naturalist-led nature and wildflower walks at both the Lyman and Belmont sites.

And members could be found each quarter cleaning up Lyman Woods property between 31st and 39th streets as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program.

PDHA raised substantial funds for the Wonder Woods (formerly Little Sprouts) program, a partnership between the park district and Downers Grove Grade School District 58 that creates a full-day field trip to Lyman Woods for first- through third-graders to build an appreciation for natural heritage, notes the Downers Grove Historical Society in describing Lerner’s and PDHA’s contributions.

The organization also assisted the village in securing grant funding for environmental projects, and helped revitalize its Environmental Concerns Commission.

An annual Arbor Day planting by PDHA would teach first-graders from Whittier Elementary School how to plant a tree at Patriots Park, Kulovany said.

“The preservation of trees was always a big emphasis,” he said. “The group would meet with the village forester in Downers Grove. One of the projects was to actually drive through various neighborhoods in Downers Grove to spot locations to plant parkway trees.”

Kulovany said he and fellow PDHA director Marge Earl, also a former village commissioner, pushed for a parkway tree protection ordinance.

“The best has come most recently in the last three years,” Lerner said. “The village decided to implement the Greenest Region Compact in a most robust way. … Hopefully, that’s going to set the tone for many years to come in terms of implementing environmental initiatives on the part of the village. It’s been very encouraging and gratifying to see the support this has gotten from the village council.”

Goodman hopes that significant natural areas will continue to inspire future volunteers.

“They require constant attention and protection,” Goodman said. “[It’s] an important component that each new generation needs to discover and appreciate.”

These days, Kulovany and Goodman remain involved with numerous Downers Grove causes, but have relocated to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and Boulder, Colorado, respectively.

When it comes to architectural preservation, Lerner recalls the positives that followed a failed effort to preserve the 1898 Edwards House, which was demolished in 2015. Its champions had included PDHA members who raised money for the cause, which they turned over to the newly formed Friends of the Edwards House, a nonprofit that continues to work for historic preservation in Downers Grove.

He said the controversy over the Edwards House directed a lot more public attention to the issue of historic preservation.

“As a result, the village appointed an ad hoc committee to review [the] historic preservation program,” Lerner said. “It made some changes to the ordinance to make it easier to landmark your home. … Now we have 34 or 35 landmarks in town."

PDHA was an advocate for preservation of the 1846 Blodgett House, an early residence of Israel and Avis Blodgett that was a stopover point on the Underground Railroad. And PDHA volunteered to help with the village’s Architectural and Historical Survey.

PDHA announced it will give its remaining resources to three area environmental groups: The Conservation Foundation, Greener Grove and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, which presented PDHA the 2015 Best Community Advocate award.

In the meantime, PDHA currently continues to maintain its website, a treasure trove of historical facts about the organization’s tireless efforts. Goodman’s detailed history of all it took to save Lyman Woods is just part of its archives, available at pdha.org.

“There is no part of our work that’s being dropped, it’s just being handed over to other people,” Kulovany said. “It’s really mission accomplished.”