HYDE PARK — Curious about what Yoko Ono and the Army Corps of Engineers are doing on Wooded Island? The park advisory council is getting people past the locked gates and onto the island on Saturday.
Jerry Levy, the Wooded Island steward, will lead a tour of the island at 10 a.m. Saturday starting at the north end of the island near the Osaka Japanese Garden.
Outside the garden, Yoko Ono is preparing her “SKY LANDING” installation. Two large berms have already been created that will serve as the platform for Ono’s finished piece in June 2016.
The remainder of the island looks almost clear cut to the untrained eye.
The Army Corps is in the middle of an $8.1 million restoration of Jackson Park, and one of the largest components in a massive revitalization of the island that required the removal of 1,300 trees.
Levy has closely monitored the entire process and will be able to point out tiny oak saplings the Army Corps has preserved.
Wooded Island will remain closed to the public for the rest of the year and this is one of the few ways to get onto the island during the restoration.
The island is expected to reopen next year, but could remain closed for up to five years if the return of visitors damages the burgeoning flora on the island.
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