About the Park District

We are the guardians of your precious spaces of movement and connection.

More than a park district, this is where your memories are made, your goals are met, your community is created. Here, families are forging memories that will last a lifetime and friends are gathering to celebrate their shared joys. Around every corner, inside every facility, and within every day is the thrill of discovery and the opportunity to make real moments happen.

We’re proud to serve our neighbors, to be part of your celebrations and your victories, your growth and your explorations. We know that together, we’re building a stronger, more vibrant community that will thrive for generations to come.

The Hoffman Estates Park District is committed to providing a safe, positive and enjoyable experience for all participants and families in our programs. All participants, visitors, staff and volunteers must follow the HEParks Code of Conduct.
All participants, visitors, staff and volunteers will:

As a participant in a Hoffman Estates Park District program or event when using one of its public parks or facilities, you may be photographed or videotaped by the Hoffman Estates Park District (HEParks) or its assigns and transferees. By registering in a program or attending a District event on District property, you are granting permission to HEParks to copyright, use and publish the same in print and/or electronically with or without your name and for any lawful purpose, including for example, publicity, illustration, advertising, program guide, brochures, newsletter, email, digital media boards, website, social media, news releases or other promotional materials.

Social Media Guidelines

The Hoffman Estates Park District engages customers through many digital outlets, including (but not limited to) heparks.org, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. The Park District maintains many sub groups among its social media websites, including, but not limited to: HEParks Ice Arena, HE Parks Preschool, The Club at Prairie Stone, Bridges of Poplar Creek Country Club, Bo’s Run & Freedom Run Off Leash Dog Parks. This document pertains to all websites maintained by the Hoffman Estates Park District. Questions or concerns regarding Hoffman Estates Park District’s social media activity should be submitted to the C&M Department at 847-871-3672.

Communicating with the Hoffman Estates Park District through social media further enables customers to contact us in a direct and meaningful way. Please be aware that when engaging with the Hoffman Estates Park District over social media, you are agreeing to the following:

Commenting on a Hoffman Estates Park District Social Media Site

The Hoffman Estates Park District shares information, images and video with the public through external social media websites. Comments made by the public to these sites are reviewed and, while comments will not be edited by Hoffman Estates Park District staff, a comment may be deleted if it violates the guidelines described here.

Comments should be related to the posted topic for the Hoffman Estates Park District’s social media page or post. Hoffman Estates Park District social media accounts are not meant for comments that do not directly relate to the purpose or topic of the social media website or for service requests. For general comments or communications concerning the District, please visit heparks.org or call 847-885-7500.

You are subject to the Terms of Use of the host site. Information (photos, videos, etc.) you share with or post to official Hoffman Estates Park District pages is also subject to the Terms of Service of the host site and may be used by the owners of the host site or the Hoffman Estates Park District for its own purposes. For more information, consult the host website’s Terms of Use.

Hoffman Estates Park District social media accounts or blogs are not open to comments promoting or opposing any person campaigning for election to a political office, or promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial transaction. Profanity, hate speech, or the use of obscene, threatening or harassing language is prohibited.

Personal attacks of any kind or offensive comments that target or disparage any specific person, group, ethnicity, race, age, or religious group, gender, sexual orientation or disability status are prohibited. The Hoffman Estates Park District has a comprehensive Anti-Bullying Policy that includes cyber-bullying. Please refer to our Anti-Bullying policy at heparks.org.

Comments advocating illegal activity or posting of material that violates copyrights or trademarks of others are prohibited.

This comment document is subject to amendment or modification at any time. The Hoffman Estates Park District, in its sole discretion, may remove any content at any time if it violates our policy.

User-Created Content

Users are welcome to submit or post content, including photographs and videos, to an official Hoffman Estates Park District site where the agency allows users to post content, the content meets the standards articulated in this Customer Use document and pertains to the subject of the social media site. Users may only post their own, original content. Reproduced or borrowed content that reasonably appears to violate third party rights will be deleted.

Reasonable Accommodation

Every effort is made to ensure that the Hoffman Estates Park District’s website (heparks.org) is accessible to those with disabilities. Host sites maintain accessibility separately. To request a reasonable accommodation when accessing Hoffman Estates Park District social media sites, please contact the Communications & Marketing Superintendent at 847-871-3672.

Questions or Concerns

Questions or concerns regarding Hoffman Estates Park District’s social media activity or this Social Media document should be submitted to the Communications & Marketing Superintendent at 847-871-3672.

Access to information and transparency to our community is something the Hoffman Estates Park District takes very seriously. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of the most frequently requested documents to assist the public in obtaining information. We welcome your feedback and/or questions.

Freedom of Information Act

In compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, the Hoffman Estates Park District’s Freedom of Information Act Officers and Open Meeting Act Officers are as follows:

Craig Talsma, Executive Director – 847-781-3633
Cindy Flynn, Executive Assistant – 847-781-3633
Amy Rivas, Director of Administrative Services – 847-781-3634

Early in 2010, the HE Parks Board of Commissioners formally adopted the district’s first Natural Area Management Plan. We’ve changed the shorelines of our lakes by adding natural plant vegetation, called a natural shoreline. Natural shorelines, as opposed to rock borders or retaining wall shorelines, offer many benefits to the community. Natural shorelines add beauty to the landscape. They help reduce excessive growth of algae by protecting the water quality because they prevent the soil from eroding into the lake. Natural shorelines also keep litter from blowing into the lakes. The plants attract a great variety of wildlife such as birds, butterflies, frogs, turtles, and ducks which use the area for nesting, spawning and protection from predators. In addition, the vegetation deters nuisance species like Canadian geese which litter the lake and surrounding area with droppings. Further, by improving water quality and appearance, increasing wildlife habitat, a natural shoreline may even improve property values.

In early 2021, the HE Parks Board of Commissioners formally adopted an updated Natural Area Management Plan, called the “Land Definition & Management Plan,” which served to update descriptions of properties types, with updated management plans per property definition. Each management definition is broken down into various levels, with each level outlining the appropriate procedures for healthy and beneficial horticultural development.

The plan was updated once again in November 2024 after Vogelei Park achieved full Arboretum status, making HEParks one of only two Illinois park district agencies to own a park as a designated Arboretum.

The updated plan to manage our natural areas is below: