Springdale Cemetery Savanna dispute may have resolution

After months of discussion, debate and multiple maps, it appears the Springdale Cemetery Management Authority might be ready to approve the boundaries to its savanna.

The proposed boundaries reflect a map the Illinois Department of Natural Resources signed off on last month.

At issue is a determination on the savanna’s northern boundaries, and whether a section one environmentalist group believes should be protected property could actually be utilized by cemetery officials as a scattering garden or a location for green burials.

Jon Austin, general manager at Springdale, said the IDNR map suggested the savanna’s boundaries did not include a section coveted for preservation by Peoria Wilds.

Peoria Wilds officials have questioned if any alterations to the savanna take place—such as the development of for-profit cemetery use—it might jeopardize the authority’s 2007 voluntary agreement with IDNR designating the area as an Illinois Natural Heritage Landmark.

The boundary debate has been bantered about between both sides for months, with IDNR’s propose map surfacing last month.

Anticipate the authority to vote on the map during its meeting, which starts at 4 p.m. Tuesday.