Fall is my favorite time of the year. As I am writing this, breathtaking colors of yellows, golds, oranges, and deep reds dot the canvas that nature paints for us in the fall. The north wind brings chilly evenings and cool, breezy days. Hoodies and flannel shirts replace swimsuits and shorts. The crisp nights bring out thousands of stars as we sit by the campfire, trying to catch that first shooting star of the night. Baseball hats are replaced with football jerseys, and grills full of hamburgers make way for crockpots full of chili. It’s a time when farmers harvest their crops, fishermen wet their lines for the last time, naturalists take that last hike in nature’s playground, and hunters take to the field before old man winter takes control.

I live for the fall. My name is John Shefcik, and I am a proud member of the Board of Directors. I was elected last year to fill the large shoes left behind when Ivan Martinez took a break after a long term serving the Woodhaven Association. Prior to serving on the board, I had previously participated on the finance and the AORC committees, and I currently Co-Chair the Deer Management Committee along with my fellow Board Member Harry Koppel. I have been fortunate to call Woodhaven my second home for almost 40 years. My parents purchased here in the early 80s, and my in-laws purchased here in the late 70s. My wife and I grew up here, and now we have been Property Owners for almost 20 years. Woodhaven, for my family and me, is more than just a place to go in the summer, it has been an integral part of our lives and creating memories that will last a lifetime. Whether it was waiting with my mom outside on the porch of the country kitchen on Saturday nights for our order of the best broasted chicken around, being taught by Mr. Notley how to fly fish at the bait shop, or watching my son catch one of those few coveted monster trout that are mixed in with the rest of the trout every Fall Fest, these memories will last forever. Growing up here, I watched as our parents sat around the campfires with our neighbors while we played flashlight tag lot to lot. Back then, it was canvas tents, pop-up trailers, and small Coachman pull-behinds, and friends quickly became family.

Over the last 40 years, I’ve watched Woodhaven transform from a simple campground to a wonderful community. This is the reason I began to volunteer at Woodhaven. I wanted to give back to the place that has given my family and me so much for so long. I retired two years ago after almost 30 years in law enforcement and even though my wife made me go back to work part-time because I was driving her insane at home, I still have the time that allows me to contribute more and more to Woodhaven.

November marks the beginning of the holiday season. At the end of the month, we will sit with our families and give thanks for the blessings we have. When you get an opportunity, please thank those who worked extremely hard all year to make Woodhaven Lakes the wonderful place that it is. Their dedication to Woodhaven Lakes is unmatched. From our administrators and managers who make operations work seamlessly to the janitors who clean the comfort stations, from our public safety officers to our waitresses at the restaurant, all of our Woodhaven employees go above and beyond to make Woodhaven such a special place. They truly love Woodhaven Lakes as much as we Property Owners do.

This year alone, our lifeguards made an incredible 59 saves at the pools or the beach during the swimming season. Our maintenance department spent 675 man hours cleaning up the damage in the areas that were affected several days after the March tornado, and they did an excellent job in such a short amount of time. Our public safety officers have answered a total of 886 calls and driven 61,718 patrol miles this year, keeping us safe. They are currently conducting their annual lot walks and have already conducted 2,643 lot checks, finding several trailers and sheds open. All of our employees, from our ESAC department to our part-time seasonal employees, are wonderful people who do an excellent job and take pride in what they do. I hope you will make an effort to thank them for what they do here.

Our volunteer committee members and Board members work tirelessly, giving up their free time to make sure that Woodhaven remains special, not only now, but for the future and should be appreciated for what they do. From our section representatives to our Board of Directors, our volunteers, with the input of the ownership, help continue to guide the Woodhaven Lakes in the right direction. They give up their weekends during the spring and summer and sacrifice their evenings in the Fall and Winter without a thought, and their dedication to Woodhaven is unwavering.

In the aftermath of the tornado, the Woodhaven community again came together and volunteers put their time and effort into helping those owners clean up storm damage who were directly affected by the tornado. It was truly an amazing and awesome sight. So when you do come across one our Woodhaven’s greatest asset, these volunteers, please thank them for they have done and will continue to do.
This year the Board of Directors voted to create an AD HOC Deer Management Committee. This committee was formed due to the concern of several Property Owners about the deer population in Woodhaven becoming overpopulated and damaging some of the landscape on their property. But the importance of this committee goes far beyond just deer eating too many Hostas on our lots. Within the last few years, Lee County was added to the growing number of counties that have had deer tested positive for CWD, or Chronic Wasting Disease.

The CWD found in Lee County was from deer that were harvested during hunting season outside of West Brooklyn, Illinois. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CWD once a deer contracted it and it is always fatal to the deer. As of now, there have not been any deer found with the illness inside Woodhaven Lakes or the immediate surrounding area, and we hope that it never reaches here.

There will be hard questions that need to be addressed and tough decisions to make, and CWD is not the only concern that the committee has. EHD, another deadly deer disease that has been prevalent in central and southern Illinois, is also a major concern, as is whether or not Woodhaven can support our growing deer population. One thing is for sure: there will be no easy answers to this issue.

Our Owners are passionate about Woodhaven Lakes’ nature, and this has quickly become a hot topic. Please remember that the first priority of this committee is for the health of our deer population. We all love seeing deer throughout Woodhaven Lakes and it is our responsibility to be good stewards of nature and strong conservationists to make sure to do everything we can to keep our deer herd healthy. They are truly one of the things we love about our home away from home.

Recently, a survey has gone out to all Property Owners to give you the opportunity to weigh in on the deer population at Woodhaven. Please take the time to fill out the survey. Your input will help the committee in making some of those tough decisions. I would also encourage owners to attend the deer committee meetings to understand the issues Woodhaven Lakes is facing.

Hope you take the opportunity to get out an enjoy the colors of a Woodhaven Lakes fall!!

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday season,
John Shefcik