Chicago WILDERNES S...This area was biologically rich long before European and American set-tlers arrived. “We are in the middle of a convergence of major biomes here,” says Tim

The Rebirth of the Oak Woods • Where the Wild Ones Are

ChicagoWILDERNESS

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E X P L O R I N G N A T U R E & C U L T U R E

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Federal Lands

State Parks

County Preservesand City Parks

Privately OwnedNature Areas

Nature Preservesand Scientific Areas

PROTECTED LANDIN THE CHICAGO WILDERNESS REGION

PROTECTED LANDIN THE CHICAGO WILDERNESS REGION

Map drawn by Richard Vaupel and Leonard Walther of the Cartography Lab at Northern Illinois University.

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 3

Many of us grew up knowing a little bit about nature.We climbed trees, fed squirrels, enjoyed the soundof birds and the sight of wildflowers. On vacations,

we hiked, camped, canoed or biked in remoter regions,places we think of as real nature, as wilderness. But theseplaces were always somewhere else. Certainly not in ourown back yards.

Yet, the greater Chicago area, unlikely as it may seem, ishome to the greatest concentration of threatened andendangered plant and animal species in the Midwest.

Moreover, this metropolitan area—not the surroundingfarmland—harbors the world’s best remaining assemblage ofour true and original Midwest “wilderness:” the tallgrassprairies and oak woodlands, the savannas and marshes.After all, what is wilderness? Is it not the land that thePotawatomi walked on—the plants and creatures in the nat-ural communities that evolved here over the ages? Thesenative plant and animal communities are more rare—andtheir survival more globally threatened—than the fabledtropical rain forests. To the extent that the grove and prairiewilderness exists anywhere, it exists here.

Thus, first and foremost, Chicago Wilderness is an archi-pelago of 200,000 acres of protected natural lands stretchingfrom Chiwaukee Prairie in Wisconsin, through the six coun-ties of northeastern Illinois and Goose Lake Prairie south-west of Joliet, to the dunes of northwestern Indiana. (Seemap on facing page.)

Yet Chicago Wilderness is not merely land. It is theplants and animals that live on the land, the blue-spottedsalamander and red-shouldered hawk, the prairie white-fringed orchid and the Hines emerald dragonfly. And thepeople. Native Americans were part of the wilderness here,and you and I are part of it now. Or we can be. The richlands that comprise Chicago Wilderness are here becausepeople saved them from plow and pavement.

Thus, it was the human capital of the region, investedwith intelligence and care, that bequeathed to us and ourchildren a rare natural legacy. And it is this human capitalof the region, invested anew in an unprecedented coalitionof public and private organizations, that is also calledChicago Wilderness. To date, some 54 institutions (you’llfind them listed on the inside back cover of this magazine)have joined together in a consortium called the ChicagoRegion Biodiversity Council. They have pledged to work in

What IsCHICAGO WILDERNESS?

C H I C A G O W I L D E R N E S S

D e b r a S h o r e

E D I T O R

concert to protect, restore and manage the precious naturalresources of the Chicago region. This part of ChicagoWilderness is neither a place nor a thing. Instead, it is acollaboration of individuals and institutions committed tosaving our rich natural heritage and helping to infuseknowledge of our native landscape into the cultural identi-ty of the region.

We live in a land known for great pizza and a world-class basketball team—this goes without saying. But some-day—for such is the goal of Chicago Wilderness—we willall recognize and cherish the fact that we also live in aland known for great prairies and woods. The story ofChicago Wilderness is a tremendous American story, astory of drama, imagination and heart.

With Chicago Wilderness—this magazine—we hope totell that inspiriting story. We’ll bring you news and infor-mation on a quarterly basis about the member institutionsof Chicago Wilderness and the projects they’re engaged in.We’ll introduce you to some of the best wild areas in theregion and explore its wildlife. And we’ll feature some ofthe best writing, photography and illustration about theextraordinary nature here.

As with any newborn being, we are not yet what wehope to be. In future issues look for field notes from scien-tists, excerpts from settlers’ journals, lessons in landscapegenealogy, book reviews, more photos and art, stories,essays and fascinating facts.

We’re looking for writers, photographers and artists tojoin us in this enterprise—and we’re seeking a family ofreaders and subscribers. That’s how we hope this magazinewill naturally evolve and grow. We’re glad to say we can’tdo it without your help and support—just as our preciouswild places can’t survive without you either.

This premiere issue of Chicago Wilderness is being dis-tributed free of charge. Please enjoy it and share it withyour family, friends and neighbors. Subscribe today toreceive future issues of Chicago Wilderness. Give gift sub-scriptions to colleagues and friends, your parents, yourchildren, to people who’ve moved away or to folks whomight move here. Give a subscription to start a conversa-tion or to say thank you. We need to be big to be good.Become a benefactor of the magazine by making a tax-deductible contribution. Spread the word. And let ushear from you.

Photo: Gail Nachel

C H I C A G O W I L D E R N E S SMAGAZINE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:Barbara Carr, Chicago Botanic GardenLaura Gates, Field MuseumDan Griffin, Forest Preserve District

of DuPage CountyGeorge Rabb, Brookfield Zoo

EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Debra Shore ASSISTANT EDITOR . . . . . . . . . .Sheryl De Vore

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill Aldrich DESIGN . . . . . . . . Creative Graphic Solutions

ART DIRECTOR, Liita ForsythASSISTANT DESIGNER, Steve Wilkin

Chicago Wilderness Magazine is published quarterly.Subscriptions are $12/year. Please address all sub-scription correspondence to Chicago WildernessMagazine, P. O. Box 268, Downers Grove, IL60515-0268. Please direct editorial inquiries andcorrespondence to Editor, Chicago WildernessMagazine, 3206 Hartzell Street, Evanston, IL60201. (847) 869-5440. e-mail: [email protected]

Unsolicited manuscripts cannot be returnedwithout a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Chicago Wilderness Magazine is printed on recy-cled paper and should be passed around fromfriend to friend.

Chicago Wilderness Magazine is endorsed by theChicago Region Biodiversity Council. The opin-ions expressed in these pages, however, are theauthors’ own.

Production management provided by GrowitCommunications, Inc., publisher of ChicagolandGardening Magazine.

The word "Chicago" i s der ived f rom the Algonquian name for nodding w i ld onion .

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C O N T E N T S

F E A T U R E S

WHERE THE WILD ONES ARE by Peter Friederici . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6A description of some of the rare animals, plants, insects and birds of theregion and why they’re found here.

REBIRTH OF THE OAK WOODS by Sheryl DeVore . . . . . . . . . . . . .10The story of an almost-forgotten ecosystem being restored to health.

INTO THE WILD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Our guide to the best natural areas of the region—what to do and see,when to go, where to hike, bike, canoe, ride horses, watch birds, even findsolitude.

NATURAL EVENTS CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 What’s debuting on nature’s stage this season with tips for where to see,hear, and find the natural wonders of Chicago Wilderness.

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23We’re all members of the community: meet Bill and Alice Howenstine, aMcHenry County couple devoted to outdoor education and stewardship.Meet John Case, the DuPage County Commissioner who introduced a natural areas management plan for the forest preserves. And meet the rattlesnake master, proud resident of fine prairies.

GAME AND WILDLIFE MATRIX: FOR KIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Test your knowledge of ecosystems and natural history in the region.

NEWS FROM CHICAGO WILDERNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

WHAT, WHERE, & HOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Symposia and events sponsored by Chicago Wilderness member institu-tions; where to get information about Chicago Wilderness projects; how toget involved.

GUEST ESSAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Chicago Wilderness, Chicago Renaissance? A personal essay by Alf Siewers.

READING PICTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34What story does this picture tell?

DEPAR TMENT S

COVER PHOTO:The restored richness of an oak woods dwarfs Linda Masters as she hunts for summer mushrooms amid Joe-Pyeweed and sweet black-eyed susan in Cook County's Poplar Creek Forest Preserve. Photo by Stephen Packard.OPPOSITE: Autumn colors gild Somme Prairie Grove, a Cook County ForestPreserve in Northbrook, Illinois. Photo by Joseph Kayne.

MMention the words “Chicago” and

“wilderness” in the same sentence, and chances are you’ll draw an incredulous stare

from many listeners. How can the nation’s third-largest city possibly exist in conjunc-

tion with wild places, let alone in conjunction with particular constellations of wild

animals and plants that have practically ceased to exist anywhere else on Earth?

Illustration

: Liita For

syth


By Peter Friederici

Where the

ildOnes Are

Populations of Endangered and Threatened

Species in Illinois

100-33550-9910-491-9

Yet that is precisely the case. Thecity and its suburbs support wild

species and entire communities thathave become rare—not just in north-eastern Illinois, but globally.Threatened environments, includingtallgrass prairies, oak savannas, andprairie marshes, survive in this regioneven within view of skyscrapers andshopping malls. And, unlikely as itmay seem at first glance, those rareand increasingly cherished naturalareas remain in reasonable healthtoday precisely because of their prox-imity to the city.

This area was biologically rich longbefore European and American set-tlers arrived. “We are in the middle ofa convergence of major biomes here,”says Tim Sullivan, a conservation biol-ogist at Brookfield Zoo who hasworked extensively with the ChicagoWilderness project. “It’s the easternextent of the tallgrass prairie, thesouthern edge of the north woods, thewestern extent of the eastern decidu-ous forest. It’s also overlaid with a verycomplex geological history, especiallyrecent glaciation, that has left a diver-sity of soil types, topography, and wet-lands. That’s led to a high diversity ofnative species, especially plants.Fifteen hundred native plant speciesoccur in the Chicago Wildernessregion. That’s an enormous number.”

Studies have shown that IndianaDunes National Lakeshore, forinstance, ranks seventh in biodiversityamong all national parks—1,135native plant species have been identi-fied there as one measure— yet it ismany times smaller than any of theparks that outrank it.

Early settlers in the region tended tothink of this rich combination of grass-land, forest, and wetland as the origi-nal Chicago wilderness. But it was notat all free of the marks of humanity, forthe ecology of the continent, especial-ly its coasts and the fertile midsection,had already been profoundly alteredby its Native American inhabitants

for millennia. They set fires that kepttrees from encroaching on the prairies.They hunted bison and deer, elk andbear (some scholars think early NativeAmericans hunted many Ice Age-eraanimals to extinction). They collectedwild plants and farmed crops, such ascorn and squash, that were introducedfrom other areas. They influencedtheir surroundings and were influ-enced by them.

When American settlers arrived inthe Midwest, they dealt with their sur-roundings in less subtle ways. Theyplowed the prairies, sawed downforests, drained marshes, channeledrivers. And the new city of Chicago,situated where land and water travelroutes met, became the transportationnexus where resources from the northand south, east and west, changedhands. Immigrants flocked in. Fromskyscrapers to the blues, many of thedistinctive qualities they eventuallylent to the city can be traced back tothe place’s particular juncture of geol-ogy, geography, and climate.

Some of the effects that Westerncivilization had on the area’s naturaldiversity—the way it wiped out manynative animals, for example—are wellknown. The herds of bison that cov-ered the prairies like a brown tidewere hunted out almost entirely a cen-tury ago; they survive in Illinois onlyas a few captive animals. Cougars andwolves are unlikely to stalk the oaksavannas again. And some former resi-dents are gone forever. Passengerpigeons will never again darken theskies over the woods nor will Carolinaparakeets appear on someone’s birdlist. They, too, are extinct.

What is less obvious is that theswelling human population of theChicago region was the key to retain-ing much of the area’s natural legacy.“What happened was a combinationof historical accident and wisdom,”says Jerry Sullivan, author of ChicagoWilderness, An Atlas of Biodiversity.“Because it was an urban area from

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The endangered Hines emerald dragonfly survives on earth only at a few sites alongthe lower Des Plaines River in Cook and Will Counties and in Door County, Wisconsin.

Map from

Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, 1993

Photo: Marcella DeM

auro

In Illinois, the two concentrations ofendangered species are in the ShawneeHills and in the Chicago metropolitanarea. Most of the rest of the state is cornand soybeans.

the beginning, a lot of places thatwould have been turned into farmlandelsewhere were kept as open land forspeculation.” Failed subdivisions,extensive estates, and other patches ofland that were never developed on alarge scale helped preserve many wildplaces. Other effects of urbanizationwere even more unpredictable. “Onthe south side of Chicago and in LakeForest, fine prairies and savannas sur-vived because mischievous kids burnedthem on Halloween,” says StephenPackard, conservation biologist for TheNature Conservancy in Chicago.

Other patches on the outskirts of thecity were retained in a wild state byvirtue of the simple fact that Chicagoresidents missed wild places. They setaside an extensive network of preservesthat became the forest preserve systemin Cook and neighboring counties.Throughout most of the rest of the tall-grass prairie, by contrast, farmers even-tually converted almost all availableland to agriculture. In many rural coun-ties fragments of original prairie existtoday only in tiny patches in old ceme-teries and along railroad rights-of-way.

Today 11 percent of Cook Countyconsists of protected lands—a far largerproportion than in most counties inthe prairie region. Now, in an impres-sive exercise in wisdom, a legion ofprofessionals and volunteers is workingto protect and restore the diversity ofnature on public and private landsthroughout the metropolitan area.

Part of the legacy of that accidentand wisdom is this: a surprising number

of rare creatures still live in the metroarea. As a sort of index of that rich-ness, consider just a few of the specieswhose presence in the area illustratesthe importance of retaining and restor-ing Chicago’s diverse wildlands. Thinkof them as neighbors that representmany others:

Lakeside Daisy (Hymenoxys acaulis).This extremely rare species lives onlyon dolomite prairies. One of the twoknown populations in the world is inthe Chicago area—reestablishedthanks to a restorationist/gardener whogrew the flowers after the originalpatch was destroyed in 1981.

Leafy Prairie Clover (Petalostemumfoliosum). The largest remaining popu-lations in the world of this flower sur-vive on dolomite prairies in the area;the only others known are inTennessee and Alabama.

Eryngium Root-Borer Moth(Papaipema eryngii). Insects have suf-fered a substantial but generally unher-alded loss of diversity with the loss ofextensive prairies. This lovely speciessurvives on only a few remnant patchesin the Chicago area.

Hines Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlorahineana). Named for its vivid eyes, thisaerial predator is associated with a veryparticular geological formation, thedolomite rock of the NiagaraEscarpment. In the Chicago area, thatbedrock surfaces along the lower Des

Plaines River, producing rugged cliffsand outcrops. Clean water seeping outbetween the rock and the glacial debristhat overlies it supports marshes andwet meadows—and this globallyendangered species, which elsewheresurvives only in Door County,Wisconsin.

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii). Indecline in many parts of NorthAmerica, this woodland predator hascome back nicely in restored wood-lands in the Chicago area. It wasrecently taken off the state’s list ofthreatened and endangered species.

Kirtland’s Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii).Now absent from many former hauntsthroughout its range, this crayfish-eat-ing snake requires high-quality wetsavannas for hunting and winteringsites. The species is secretive and verydifficult to monitor, but restorationefforts in the Chicago area are main-taining significant patches of its habitat.

Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistruruscatenatus). These small rattlesnakes,rarely seen, prefer tallgrass prairieswith scattered woody shrubs; in win-ter they hibernate in crayfish burrowsin wet grasslands. Only three popula-tions have been found in the Chicagoarea, and only a total of sevenstatewide. Because most populationsare too widely scattered to allow fordispersal between them, they arethreatened by a loss of genetic diversitythrough inbreeding.

Near right: Due to loss of habitat, theMassasauga rattlesnake has disappearedover most of its range. It survives inLake, Cook, and Will Counties.

Middle right: The now-rare Kirtland'ssnake needs wet savannas to survive.

Far right: The world's largest populationof the leafy prairie clover is at LockportPrairie in Will County.

Top right: The lakeside daisy surviveshere only through the hard work ofrestoration.


The passenger p igeon, now ext inc t , was once so numerous that f locks b lackened the sk ies over midwestern woodlands .

Photo:David Manger

It is less individual species, though, thatmake the Chicago area unique than itsfine examples of rare communities ofspecies. These communities—the tall-grass prairies and oak woodlands, thediverse wetlands and Lake Michiganduneslands— have survived to this daywith more of their original integrityintact than is the case throughout mostof the rest of the Midwest.

“I tend to think in terms of commu-nities rather than individual species,”says Jerry Sullivan. “Oak savannas areextremely endangered as an entireecosystem. Our prairies are extremelysmall, but very high quality in terms ofthe number of species present inthem.” A few examples of these fineremnant communities include WestChicago Prairie in DuPage Countyand Wolf Road Prairie in CookCounty, Middlefork Savanna in LakeCounty, Chiwaukee Prairie in south-eastern Wisconsin, and the dunes ofIllinois Beach State Park, among oth-ers. Sullivan points out that thisregion has many high quality wetlandcommunities—marshes, bogs, sedgemeadows and fens—as well.

All these environments areindeed far smaller than they oncewere. Prairies that once extendedfor miles or tens or miles have beenreduced to a handful of acres today.“These are almost museum-sizedpieces we’re working with here,”says Tim Sullivan. “They’re not con-tinental-sized ecosystems anymore.”Still, in some places it may be possi-ble to get a sense of what it was like

for the first American settlers whoencountered the endless wavingprairies of Illinois and the openmarshes that rang with the calls ofducks and swans and cranes.

The Midewin Tallgrass PrairiePreserve at the former Joliet ArmyArsenal is the largest tallgrassprairie restoration effort in theworld. Sandhill Cranes, afterdecades of absence, are nestingagain in the Chain O’ Lakes marshesand several other locations in LakeCounty. Deer and Canada Geesepopulations have rebounded to thepoint that they are often considerednuisances.

These advances have been possi-ble only because of the Chicagoregion’s other great naturalresource—its people. In large num-bers, they are collecting andreplanting the seeds of nativeplants, removing invasive speciesfrom the forest preserves, settingcontrolled fires on the oak savannas,conducting groundbreaking scientif-ic research.

They are finding that doing so ismore than an abstract exercise inecology: it is also a matter of con-necting to one’s surroundings, amatter of understanding what homemeans.

It is the people working toreshape the area’s landscape inaccord with its long and rich her-itage who are defining the term“Chicago Wilderness” to mean:wilderness with people.

For more information about ChicagoWilderness and a list of fine remnantnatural communities in the region, con-tact Chicagoland Environmental Networkat (708) 485-0263 x396 [email protected] or www.chiwild.org

Peter Friederici has written on natureand other topics for National Wildlife,Wild Earth, the Reader, and many otherpublications. He grew up surrounded byoak trees in the Chicago area.

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Photo:Tom Anton

Photo:Marcella DeM

auroPhoto:Bill Glass/Root Resources

Range of oak reproductionRange of oak reproduction

G R A S S L A N DG R A S S L A N D

S A V A N N A F O R E S T

W O O D L A N DS A V A N N A

S A V A N N A

CURTISWHITELEACH

REBIRTHOF THEOAKWOODS

REBIRTHOF THEOAKWOODSThe story of the near-loss—and ongoing rescue—

of a vital link in this region’s chain of existence.

by Sheryl De Vore


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B&W Illustration: Liita Forsyth

The largest bur oak(Quercus macrocarpa) in theChicago area stands inVan Patten Woods ForestPreserve in Lake County—17.6' in circumference,79.35' high, and has acanopy spread of 88.'

F O R E S T

D E F I N I T I O N Sof

GRASSLANDSAVANNA

WOODLANDFOREST

It’s easy to understand the differencebetween a “prairie” (defined as no trees)and a “forest” (defined as thick trees).But the natural landscape of the Chicagoregion was mostly neither. Our grasslandswere often dotted with trees and shrubs.And our woods were mostly grassy, andopen enough to gallop a horse. The oldwords didn’t fit our new land. The diagram at left shows this

prairie/forest transition zone and someof the many sets of names which havebeen used to describe it. Our commonterms often overlap here. Grassland orpasture is the ecosystem that cows andhorses graze. It extends well into theopen woods. Forest or woods to mostpeople means any natural stand of trees.Scientists define such words precisely—but don’t always agree. Three sample setsof definitions are illustrated here. Whenspeaking technically, many ecologiststoday differentiate between “woodland”and “forest” as shown on the bottom line.

SOURCES:•Curtis, John T. 1959. The Vegetation of Wisconsin

•White, John. 1978. Illinois NaturalAreas Inventory

•Leach, Mark and Laurel Ross eds. 1995.Midwest Oak Ecosystems Recovery Plan

Diagram redrawn with permission from the TallgrassRestoration Handbook, S. Packard and C. Mutell, eds.Copyright © 1997 Published by Island Press,Washington, D.C. and Covelo, California. Orderinginformation: (800) 828-1302

F O R E S TF O R E S T

F O R E S T

W O O D L A N D

Americans agonize over the slash-and-burn destruction ofthe tropical rainforests and the clear cuts of old growthstands. We mourned the virtual extinction of the tallgrass

prairies—now fields of corn and soybeans—and we tried to savewhat’s left. But when the historic oak savannas and woodlands ofthe Chicago Wilderness region began to disappear, no one noticed.

That’s because this was a much more subtle loss, one not nearlyas recognizable as the destruction of rainforests and prairies. It waseasy to overlook this change because it mostly involved growthrather than removal. Due to human practices, such as suppressingfires and bringing in new invasive plants, the once-open oak grovesdeveloped into overgrown thickets deprived of sunlight. As aresult, they began losing their vast diversity of plants and animals.We thought the woods were just becoming woodier, a natural pro-gression, perhaps. But we were wrong.

In fact, this progression from open woods to what appeared tobe denser forests was an artificial one, threatening to degrade thenatural landscapes to a point of no return. Luckily, scientists andland managers have discovered what’s really happening in our oakwoodlands and how we can protect them.

The Post-Glacial LandscapeMidwesterners have heard stories of the first European settlers

wading through grasses taller than a horse and marveling at the vastsea of prairies in Illinois and Indiana. But these settlers encounteredother majestic sights. Wild turkeys gobbling. Red-headed woodpeck-ers flashing deep black and chalky white wings while excavatingholes in oaks and hickories. Great crested flycatchers singing“Wheep” across the open woods. Blankets of white trillium, wildgeraniums, and Jack-in-the-pulpits on the forest floor in spring. Thesoft pink flower clusters of six-foot-tall Joe-Pye weed blending withbrilliant yellow sunflowers in summer. These were what we now callthe oak woodlands and savannas.

Though the prairie appeared to be the prevailing natural commu-nity in northeastern Illinois in the 1820s, settlers also encounteredthese oak openings. Some called them “barrens” because the standsof widely scattered trees resembled the pine barrens of the east.

The author of a descriptive sketch of this particular landscape in1837 wrote of oaks rising “from a grassy turf, seldom incumberedwith brushwood, but not infrequently broken by jungles of rich andgaudy flowering plants, and of dwarf sumac. Among the oak open-ings you find some of the most lovely landscapes.... here trees


The s i lvery b lue but ter f ly requi res worker ants to tend i t s ca terp i l la rs , which eat an endangered p lant o f open woodlands—the creamy vetchl ing .

grouped or standing single, and there arranged in longavenues, as though by human hands, with strips of openmeadow in between.”

Changes in the LandWhat the early pioneers called oak openings or barrens,

ecologists now designate as savanna or open woodland. Incommon language, the entire continuum from open savan-na through the densest maples or buckthorn can be referredto generically as woods or forest. Like the prairies, oakwoods evolved over millennia under the influence of fire,those occurring naturally and those set by NativeAmericans. Fire acted as a fertilizer and weed killer, just asit did for prairies.

When the settlers came, however, they stopped theNative American practice of setting periodic fires and sup-pressed the naturally occurring ones. Settlers also unwit-tingly brought with them some species that were not nativeto the area, such as certain honeysuckles. Some of thesecrowded out native plant species that had lived in harmonywith other natives for thousands of years.

Oak savannas, it turns out, were particularly vulnera-ble to these disruptions. Savannas had the timber the set-tlers needed and, like the prairies, these savannas con-tained good, rich soil, making this region the mostfarmable land in the nation. Thus, in an evolutionaryinstant, most savannas were converted to cropland.Others became pasture land. Many farmers actuallyburned wooded pasture to improve the grass, but whencattle grazing stopped, for instance, when these parcelswere bought by a conservation agency, such sites devel-oped unnaturally into thorn thickets.

By the end of the 19th century, most of the savanna com-munities had been lost. The residents of these communi-ties—Cooper’s hawks, Edwards hairstreak butterflies, hairygray sedge, and yellowish gentian—were dying for lack ofhabitat. The resultant loss of biological diversity in thesecommunities has meant fewer varieties of plants and animals,

greater soil erosion, and less soothing places for humans toexperience the kind of beauty only nature can provide.

Yet this is a story of the rediscovery and restoration of theremaining patches of these native communities—and ofhumble heroes working throughout the region to bring ouroak savannas and woodlands back to health.

A Surprising FindHealthy savannas had been lost from the landscape, and

might have been forgotten altogether but for the work ofChicago-area ecologists. As it happened, a number of peo-ple reached the same conclusions—coming from differentdirections—at about the same time. Two of them, forinstance, worked together in DuPage County. WayneLampa of the Forest Preserve District and GerouldWilhelm, then of the Morton Arboretum, noticed thatwhen they surveyed areas for ecological quality, they foundhigh quality ratings in the prairies, in the wetlands, and inthe ancient maple forests of the Indiana Dunes. But noneof the region’s classic oak forests seemed comparable. Theywondered why. When Lampa burned and cut brush in theoak woods at Waterfall Glen, however, the indicators ofquality began to rise.

In a separate instance, the restoration of prairies led tothe discovery of oak savannas. When Stephen Packard, aconservation biologist with The Nature Conservancy,began prairie restoration work in the late 1970s in small,flowery clearings in degraded thickets, he found that cer-tain areas were not responding as other brushy prairies had.He also noted species he had never seen before, such as thesavanna blazing star. Packard, Lampa, Wilhelm, and othersgradually determined that these sites were not, in fact, trueprairie communities but were instead the remnants of rare,ancient oak savannas.

More importantly, they found that such areas couldrevive—given the chance. So something happened on theway to restoring prairies: we began to rediscover the savan-nas and woods and all their nuances.

Unburned woods, choked by brush. Early spring flora, after a fire.

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Fire, An Essential ElementScientists and land managers now recognize that savan-

nas and woodlands need occasional fires to stay healthy.Thus, throughout the region, they have been reintroducingfires as a natural process in the form of carefully controlledburns. “Everything burned for thousands of years in LakeCounty,” says Ken Klick, a Lake County Forest PreserveDistrict biologist. “There’s been a long record of fires here.”

Studies have shown that oaks and hickories in theregion are not regenerating because their seedlings cannottolerate the excessive shade that develops in the absence offire. Aggressive native species such as box elder and sugarmaple, however, thrive in this shady environment, able togrow quickly and dominate the forests, while the oaks die.Compared with 35 years ago, Illinois forests now contain41 percent more maples and 14 percent fewer oaks, accord-ing to data from the Illinois Natural History Survey.

“In floodplain forests along the Des Plaines River inLake County where there are shagbark hickories, whiteoaks, bur oaks, and swamp white oaks, there’s no reproduc-tion of the oaks and hickories,” says Klick. “That’s becausethe understory is dominated by sugar maples.” Thus, whena mature oak dies these days, no seedling beneath can takeits place. “To control the sugar maples as well as some ashesand cherries and the buckthorn, we need fire.” Those wholove the brilliant autumn colors of sugar maples need notworry, Klick adds. There are still thousands of maples, bothmature trees and seedlings; the maples will never all goaway. In fact, Klick says, fire in the form of prescribedburns by District crews at Ryerson Conservation Area inLake County is helping to restore the balance between oakand maple populations.

Clearing Brush, The Challenge of InvasivesBurning, however, is not always the first step in restoring

areas. In degraded oak savannas, for instance, “brushyunderstory is often dense to the point that little if anygrassy vegetation exists,” says John N. Maloneya, an oak

savanna researcher in southern Wisconsin. “And the grassy herbaceous material is what is needed to

create the right kind of fuel for a proper burn,” Maloneyaexplains. So clearing away certain underbrush species, suchas tartarian honeysuckle or European buckthorn, bothnative and non-native, is warranted. Then, as more sun-light reaches the forest floor, it triggers the growth of grassyvegetation and fire can be re-introduced.

Buckthorn was probably introduced by well-meaninglandscapers for use as an ornamental hedge. It’s called aninvasive species because it has so quickly taken hold—ableto grow and thrive in the shade—unlike oaks which needample sunlight to stimulate growth. Moreover, birds anddeer eat its berries and deposit the seeds, thus contributingto its rapid spread. What does an area look like when buck-thorn takes over? Pick a woods where it’s happened andyou’ll see such a dense thicket that the forest floor consistsof little more than bare soil, unable to support other plantlife. Rain then gradually washes the topsoil away, takingnutrients and the seed bank with it. Soil erosion, in fact, isa serious by-product of the buckthorn invasion.

At Old School Forest Preserve in Lake County, workersrecently cleared a 50-acre oak forest of buckthorn and hon-eysuckle. “The measures appear quite drastic when you seea freshly cleared area,” says Klick. “But in the end, it’s amuch richer habitat. People need to realize that restoringhealth to natural communities takes time. Forests don’tseem to heal as quickly as prairies. There has been a lot ofsoil loss with no vegetation to hold it in place. The canopyhas been closed for 80 years or more and there’s still adense canopy,” he says, “so it might be difficult to stimulatethe seed bank.” Sometimes crews plant seeds to help therevival.

Garlic mustard, a low-growing herb, is another alienspecies that spreads swiftly in degraded areas outcompetingnative plants. In spring, teams of volunteers comb the area’swoodlands pulling garlic mustard before it sets seed, to pre-vent an even bigger crop from sprouting the next year.

Summer woods flora in full bloom.

Three views of thewoods at PoplarCreek Forest Preservein Cook County.

Far left: Invasivebrush has eliminatedmost of the groundlayer plants.

Middle: Recoveryafter three years ofrestoration.

Right: Robust floraof restored woods inmid-summer aftereight years ofrestoration.

Photos: Stephen Packard

More to LearnMuch remains to be learned about the effects of restora-

tion and various land management techniques. Some bird-ers, for example, became upset when the Cook CountyForest Preserve District cut buckthorn at a popular birdingsite. Clearing the dense layers of buckthorn removed habi-tat for blue-winged warblers, an avian species that requiresthickets and brushy overgrown fields for nesting.

Land managers acknowledge the delicate balance theyseek to achieve. If such areas were just left alone, KenKlick says, we’d lose both the shrubland and the open oakwoods, both important bird habitats.

“The main goal of restoration is to maximize the biolog-ical diversity of plants and animals,” says veteran ecologistWayne Lampa who helped to develop a management planfor natural areas in DuPage County and who has worked to

restore degraded areas for many years. At Waterfall Glen,for example, where 25 acres have been restored,researchers have recorded an increase in butterfly andwildflower species, as well as “a dramatic increase in breed-ing bird species,” Lampa says. “Before we burned, therewere just a few woodpeckers and maybe a few wood thrush-es. But now, we find great crested flycatchers and Cooper’shawks. The place just came alive with birds.” Twenty newnesting bird species have been observed there since therestoration, he says.

“Ample sunlight is the key,” says Lampa. In fact, light isso crucial to the regeneration of woodland communitiesthat Lampa, through the Conservation Research Institutein Naperville where he now works, is studying the relation-ships between tree species, flora on the forest floor, and theavailability of light in several high-quality woodlands inDuPage County. Volunteers and forest preserve staff arelearning how to use light meters to survey plant life inareas with various light readings. “You can use the meterreadings as measuring sticks,” Lampa explains, “to learnhow much light is needed for certain species to thrive.”

“At Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, we’re lookingat black oak sand savannas and how canopy cover affectsbiodiversity,” says Noel Pavlovic, a plant ecologist withthe Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station inIndiana. “We’re studying plants, birds, beetles, and butter-flies, and we’re doing the work at open- and closed-canopysites and those in between,” he says. This means studyingareas where the land is mostly covered with trees—theclosed-canopy sites—as well as areas where the land isonly 10 percent covered with trees.

Research has shown that the male of the endangeredKarner blue butterfly prefers open sunny sites while thefemales use a broader range of canopy covers. “To preservehabitat for them, you have to have a fairly heterogeneousunderstory,” says Pavlovic, which means a mixture of healthywoodland and forest communities. But even that’s not thewhole story. The Karner blue butterfly overwinters as eggs inthe leaf litter. “So when you burn an area of their habitat,”Pavlovic says, “you potentially kill the eggs. However, if youvary the fire intensities and burn in patches instead of thewhole area at once, then the eggs will survive.”

Scientists are retrieving new pieces of the complex puzzle of our oak woods with each new discovery theymake. The collaboration among scientists, land managers,and thousands of volunteers engaged in the effort torestore these natural areas is a story of inspiration andhope. As birders, botanists, nature-lovers, and prairie andwoodland specialists work together, sharing their knowl-edge and expertise, they can salvage these rare and beauti-ful communities—our ancient oak woodlands.

Sheryl De Vore is an award-winning environmental jour-nalist for Pioneer Press Newspapers, the Chief Editor ofMeadowlark, A Journal of Illinois Birds, and Assistant Editor ofChicago Wilderness. She recently won the prestigious nationalHarry E. Schlenz Medal for excellence in environmental education and journalism.

SAVANNA OR FOREST?A degraded forest and a degraded savanna may

look very much alike. So how do we distinguishthem? Sometimes, only an expert can tell.

One key is the mix of tree species. If the oldtrees are oaks, especially bur or scarlet oaks, the sitemay originally have been a savanna. White oaksoften suggest the site was once a denser, but stillrelatively open, woodland. Red oaks, perhaps mixedwith black maples, suggest a history as a woodlandor forest. But if the reds and maples are young, andif old white or bur oaks are present, then the sitewas once less shady. So, the density of trees todaycan fool you.

The presence of other plants and animals—fromsalamanders to grasses to fungi—can help indicatewhat ecosystem had long developed on the site. Forconservation purposes it is important to maintainconditions that can support the rare and “conserva-tive” species that have adapted to particular naturalcommunities over the millennia.

These subjects are treated in more detail in theChicago Wilderness, An Atlas of Biodiversity. (See page 29.)


Last year in the Barr ing ton area , 72 t ra ined vo lunteers w i th C i t i zens for Conservat ion gathered over $30,000 worth o frare nat ive seed for loca l res tora t ion pro jec ts .

CookDuPage

Lake

Kane

McHenry

Will

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4

4

123456

6

1

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N E L S O N L A K E M A R S HWA T E R F A L L G L E NC A M P S A G AWA UD E S P L A I N E S R I V E R T R A I LM E S S E N G E R W O O D SG L A C I A L P A R K

Into the WildOUR GUIDE TO THE WILD SIDEBring field guides and binoculars—or just your

senses and spirit. These lands are among our best

and brightest gems of ancient nature.

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 15


More than 10,000years ago, glaciersmoving through

Illinois produced a largedepression in what is todaythe Kane County ForestPreserve District. Over time,the basin filled withHoughton muck, a soil con-sisting of organic depositsmore than four feet thick insome places. The result is aunique marsh habitat whichtoday provides a home tomany species of rare andendangered flora and fauna.In 1981, 157 acres of thissite were dedicated asNelson Lake Marsh NaturePreserve.

Though the diverse preservecontains natural featuresother than marsh, rangingfrom fen and open water to savannas and woodlands,the site’s namesake is thefocal point of the preserve.

The marsh is home to avariety of aquatic plant life,including swamp milkweed,great water dock and waterparsnip, as well as mad-dog-skullcap, blue flag andclearweed. Beaver andmuskrat also make theirhomes in the swamp, whichis partially blanketed byfloating peat mats.

Forty acres of the pre-serve are occupied by a

lake, providing habitat forplants such as hornwort,duckweed, great bladderwortand coontail. During thesummer, water lilies coverthe surface, creating abeautiful white blanket ofblooming flowers.

Many species of butterflies,including meadow fritillary,purplish copper, swampmeadowlark and Baltimorecheckerspot, flourish at thepreserve. Among the variedbird populations that canbe found at Nelson Lake arenorthern harrier, black tern,Wilson’s phalarope andAmerican bittern.

For moreinformationaboutNelsonLakeMarsh

Preserve, call the KaneCounty Forest PreserveDistrict at (630) 232-5980.

DIRECTIONSFrom the East: Take I-88West to Route 31. HeadNorth on 31 to Main St. inBatavia. Head West (left) onMain St. to Nelson LakeRoad and South about 1/4-mile to preserve entrance.From the North: Take Route31 or Randall Rd. South toMain St. Head West on Mainto Nelson Lake Road, thenSouth to the entrance.

—M. Kathleen Pratt

N E L S O N L A K E M A R S H — Kane County

N

ENTRANCE

Nelson Lake

NELSON LAKE ROAD

MAIN STREET

Maps and Spot Illustrations: Lynda Wallis

Skunk Cabbage

MAP KEYpark boundarytrails

woodland

wetland

lakes, ponds

streams

prairie

parking

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 17

Two centuries ago,DuPage County wascovered mostly by

prairie. But the diverselandscape known by boththe Potawatomi and thefirst Euro-Americans includ-ed many woodlands andsavannas, much of whichhave been preserved at theDuPage County ForestPreserve District’s WaterfallGlen, situated on theValparaiso moraine adjoin-ing Argonne NationalLaboratory.

On this 2,500 acre site,managed by the ForestPreserve District since theland was ceded to thecounty by the federal gov-ernment in 1971, visitorscan take in views of a land-scape that ranges from dryprairie to oak barrens andother uplands that slopedown toward the DesPlaines River. Severalstreams on the premises cutthrough a bluff savanna,emptying into the DesPlaines Valley. Springs occurat the base of the bluff,which ends in a sheerdolomite cliff at one end.Kettle hole ponds andravines are scatteredthroughout the area andDuPage County’s only arte-sian well empties into quarrylakes in the southwest partof the site.

In all, over 700 nativeplants, about three-quartersof all flora native to DuPageCounty, can be found atWaterfall Glen. WaterfallGlen’s primary savanna—known as Poverty Savannadue to the abundance ofpoverty oat grass—supportsa medley of 418 nativespecies. Black and whiteoaks and bitternut andshagbark hickories dominatethe barrens and bluffs.

Waterfall Glen also provideshabitat for 197 animalspecies. It is a nesting areafor hawks, owls, and turkeyvultures, as well as home toa number of different speciesof interior forest birds.

The DuPage County ForestPreserve District maintains9.5 miles of groomed trailsat Waterfall Glen, as well asseveral smaller loop trailsand picnic areas. Visitorsmay explore the vast pre-serve on foot, bicycle, orhorseback from sunrise tosunset daily. During thewinter, the trails aregroomed for cross countryskiing when conditions per-mit. Though the terrain onsome trails is rather rugged,winding up and down bluffsand twisting in and out ofravines, it offers a glimpseof the unrivaled variety ofnative species that havebeen preservedhere.

Parking is available at atrailhead off Cass andNorthgate Roads, and at asecond entrance on BluffRoad which provides thebest access to the waterfall.For more information aboutWaterfall Glen, call (630) 942-6075.

DIRECTIONS (2 entrances):From 83 South, take BluffRoad west. The entrance iswithin one mile.

From 83 South, take 91stStreet west to NorthgateRoad. The entrance is onthe right.


WA T E R F A L L G L E N — DuPage County

N

INTERSTATE 55

WESTGATE RD.

NORTH GATE RD.

Argonne NationalLaboratory

is located in the center ofthe preserve

LEMONT RD.

CLARENDON HILLS RD.

91st STREET

DES PLAINES RIVER

SANTA FE R.R.

ARTESIAN WELL

PovertySavanna

Rocky Glen& Waterfall Area

PovertyPrairie

St. Patrick’s Cemetery

SIGNAL HILL

CENTEN

NIAL TR

AIL ILLIN

OIS

& MICHIGAN

CANAL

NATIONAL H

ERITAG

E CORR

IDOR

S. BLUFF RD.

*CAUTION*Lemont Police Dept.Shooting Range

MAP KEYmulti-purpose trailtrail linkagespark boundary

wetlands

ponds, lakes

streams,rivers

woodland

pine plantations

prairie

0 1/4 1/2 mile

Trout Lily


Since 1952, the CookCounty Forest PreserveDistrict has operated

one of its six nature centersin a farm house on the edgeof the Sag Valley. Itincludes a 12-acre dedicatedNature Preserve, known asCamp Sagawau.

Located about 35 minutesfrom downtown Chicago, thecamp functions throughoutthe year as an environmen-tal education facility, offer-ing a variety of seasonalprograms to the public.Camp Sagawau is a protect-ed site, due to the unusualnumber of rare and threat-ened species in need ofpreservation found here.Visitors are not allowed totake self-guided hikes forthis reason, but there is noshortage of opportunities toget out and explore thearea. The nature centeroffers more than 70 differ-ent naturalist-led natureeducation programsthroughout the year.

Camp Sagawau’s primaryattraction is a canyon esti-mated to be 100,000 years

old. The only exposedcanyon of its kind in CookCounty, it has been pre-served so that it remainsmuch as it has been sincethe retreat of the glacier.Formed of the region’sbedrock dolomite limestone,the canyon provides a dis-tinctive environment forwildlife. Visitors can expectto see unusual and uncom-mon plants, includingbublet fern, purple cliffbrake, hairy rock cress, andwalking fern, and may catcha glimpse of animals suchas long-tailed weasels andmink. Guided tours of thecanyon are offered everySaturday and Sunday at 1p.m. from September 27though October 26.

The canyon is not the onlyplace at Camp Sagawauwhere wildlife can be stud-ied and enjoyed. CampSagawau is home to fiveacres of tallgrass prairie,one of the earliest prairierestorations in the area.Prairie walks give visitors anopportunity to see morethan 150 species of prairiegrasses and wildflowersDuring the fall months,

prairie asters, goldenrod,and gentians are all inbloom.

Events planned for fall atthe nature center includeprograms about the historyof the Illinois and MichiganCanal, winter bird feeding,Illinois endangered species,Native American tools, wildbird migration, the fallnight sky, solar astronomyand a fall tree paintingworkshop, led by the ForestPreserve District’s nationallyacclaimed illustrator, NancyHalliday.

Most programs are free andappropriate for families andparticipants of all ages. Formore information, or to reg-ister for any of CampSagawau’s fall programs, call(630) 257-2045 Mondaythough Friday from 7 a.m.to 3 p.m.

DIRECTIONSTake I-55 South and exit on83 South (Kingery Rd.).Head South to 111th St.Turn left and go a short dis-tance to Camp entrance onthe left.


C A M P S A G AW A U — Cook County

Fringed Gentian

Calumet Sag Channel

Sag Quarries

DolomiteCanyon

ENTRANCE

Rt. 83

CAMP SAG CREEK

N

The lush valley of theDes Plaines River, whichoriginates in Wisconsin

and eventually merges withthe Kankakee to become theIllinois River in GrundyCounty, is a natural high-light of Lake County. In thenorthern tip of the county,the river cuts a waterycourse through prairies,wetlands and savannas. Asthe river slips south, itpasses through some of thecounty’s richest woodlands.The Forest Preserve District,which owns 88 percent ofthe land (about 6,957acres) surrounding the DesPlaines River in LakeCounty, has been piecingtogether a parallel river trailsince 1981-a meandering,crushed gravel path thatnow stretches 22 miles. Thetrail consists of two parts: a10-mile-long northern sec-tion and a 12-mile-longsouthern section. TheDistrict plans eventually tobuild a complete 33-milepath. Both sections are freeand allow users to hike,bike, ride horses and cross-country ski on all areas ofthe trail. Trail users will alsofind in both sections park-ing, drinking water,restrooms, picnic areas,playgrounds and canoelaunches.

The northern section of thetrail begins just south ofthe Wisconsin border atRussell Road and comes toan end at Grand Avenue inGurnee. At both trailheads,there is ample parking. InVan Patten Woods, trailusers will find bike andhorse rental concessionsand additional miles of trailfor hiking, horse riding,cross country skiing and athree-mile area for snowmo-biling. Another trail wrapsaround 74-acre SterlingLake, which is populated bychannel catfish, walleye,

muskie, blue gill, and bass.The trail rolls across a hillysavanna and through sever-al oak groves in WadsworthPrairie in a dedicatedIllinois Nature Preserve. In the marshy WetlandsDemonstration Project, youmight catch a glimpse of ayellow-headed blackbird inspring or summer, just oneof the species which havemade themselves at homein this area.

The trailhead of the south-ern section is at Half DayPreserve, located offMilwaukee Avenue. Thenorth terminus is found inLibertyville at Buckley Road,but parking in this area isbest at Old School ForestPreserve, just off St. Mary’sRoad in Libertyville, a fewmiles south of this trail-head. The southern portionof the trail traverses fourforest preserves: Old School,MacArthur Woods, WrightWoods, and Half Day; allhave extra miles of multi-use trails in addition to theriver trail. In the Old Schoolsection, find the lookouttower which provides apanoramic view of theprairie and valley below.Just south of Route 60,you’ll find a mecca ofstores, restaurants, andeven a movie theater in theRivertree Mall, a short walkfrom the trail. For brilliantautumn colors, head toWright Woods near thesouthern end of the trail, an area dappled with thevibrant oranges, reds, andyellows of sugar maples.

The trails are open between6:30 a.m. and sunset. For afree, detailed map of theDes Plaines River trail or formore information on parkingand how to get there, callthe Lake County ForestPreserve at (847) 367-6640.

—Kristin Kloberdanz

T H E D E S P L A I N E S R I V E R T R A I L — Lake County

MacAurthur

Woods

Illinois

Nature Preserve

GraingerWoods

WrightWoods

Old School

Rt. 132Grand Ave

Wadsworth Rd.

Wadsworth PrairieIllinois NaturePreserve

Van Patten Woods

Rt. 173

WISCONSIN

ILLINOIS

NORTHERN SECTION

SOUTHERN SECTION

Kilbourne Rd

U.S. 41

U.S. 41

Old School Rd.

Oak Spring Rd.

St. Mary’s Rd.

Rt. 176

Old Rockland Rd.

Rt. 173/Buckley Rd.

Everett Rd.

Rt. 60

Rt. 21

Rt. 45/21

Milwaukee A

ve.

Rt. 22/Half Day Rd.

Trail Ends

Trail Ends

Trail Ends

Rt. 22


woodland

wetland

lakes, ponds

streams

prairie

parking

N

N

Sterling Lake

Russell Rd

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 19

Messenger Woods, inrural Lockport, is oneof Will County’s old-

est forest preserve sites—and one of its most unusu-al. Purchased in a series oftracts in 1930, 1942, 1944,and 1946, the preservetoday totals 946 acres. Herevisitors can see and enjoyone of the few remainingforests in northeasternIllinois that has not beenaltered by grazing, cutting

or development.

Considered a high-quality,old-grove forest, MessengerWoods has oak uplands andrich maple-basswood-ash-elm bottomlands on a rollingglacial hill terrain. SpringCreek, which runs throughthe preserve, has cut severalsteep-sided ravines. Due tothe quality of this site, 58acres in the northwest cor-ner of the preserve werededicated an Illinois NaturePreserve in 1994.

In addition, MessengerWoods is known throughoutthe region for its abundanceof spring wildflowers thatcarpet the forest floor.

Watch the flocks of naturephotographers perch overtheir cameras to capture theblue-eyed Mary, red trillium,white trillium grandiflora,and hepatica in bloom. Butthe biggest draw areVirginia bluebells, for moreappear at Messenger Woodsover a few fleeting weeks inMay than anywhere else inWill County.

The rare but recoveringCooper’s hawk has consis-tently nested in the southportion of the preserve,while the state-endangeredred-shouldered hawk nestsannually on private landjust north of the boundary.

Visitors to Messenger Woodscan hike or ski along twomiles of looped trails andenjoy three picnic sheltersand an open playfield. TheDistrict also sponsors freenature walks in the woods.

NOTE: No bicycles areallowed on the trails. Dogsare permitted only on SouthTrail and in picnic areas andmust be on a leash.

For additional informationcall the Forest PreserveDistrict of Will County’spublic information office at(815) 727-8700.

DIRECTIONS: MessengerWoods is located on BruceRoad, north of Route 6(Southwest Highway) andeast of Cedar Road, in ruralLockport. Open November—March, 8:00 a.m.—5:00p.m.; April—October, 8:00a.m.—8:00 p.m. daily.

—Bruce Hodgdon, public informa-

tion naturalist, Forest Preserve

District of Will County

M E S S E N G E R W O O D S — Will County


Mertansia

Wooded Ravine

Bruce Rd. ENTRANCE

Spring Creek

Parker Rd.

N

Totaling 2,806 acres innorthern McHenryCounty, including 330

acres of dedicated NaturePreserve, Glacial Park is oneof the prime recreation andrestoration sites of theMcHenry CountyConservation District.Kames, kettles, moraines,knob and basin, fen andbog: these are a few of theintriguing natural featuresfound at Glacial Park.

Kames, for instance, arehuge deposits of sand andgravel built by glaciers andreaching up to 100 feethigh. Formed by debrisaccumulating from glacialrivers of the Wisconsonianice sheet a mere 12,500years ago, at least fourkames remain preserved atGlacial Park, including thelargest—camelback kame—whose name derives from itsgentle double humps. Manykames in the region havebeen excavated for gravelused in construction so thechance to see these intactis rare indeed.

Take the Deerpath Trail (2.3 miles in length) fromthe Wiedrich Barn parkingarea through a prairie andoak savanna to a group ofkames. The trail winds upthe spine of camelbackkame whose elevation per-mits splendid views ofscenery in all directions.

A short spur leads to theNippersink Trail which fol-lows Nippersink Creek twomiles north. In theAlgonquian language,Nippersink means “place ofthe small waters” due to theprofusion of small springsfeeding the creek. The northbranch of the Nippersinkcoming in from Wisconsin isone of three state-ratedGrade A streams in the

Chicago Wilderness region—a sign of high-quality habi-tat. Its cobble-and-rockbottom is home to severalendangered mussels and anumber of silt-sensitivefish. Anglers can cast forsmallmouth bass, northernpike, carp, or channel cat-fish in designated fishingareas within the park.Hiking, cross-country skiing,snowmobiling, and horse-back riding are permittedalong the trail. All petsmust be leashed; bicyclingpermitted only on roadwaysor along the northernextension of the Prairie Trailwhich passes throughGlacial Park.

From a parking area offHarts Road, visitors canhike the 1.2-mile CoyoteLoop through an oak-hicko-ry savanna, past a bog andmarsh (with observationdeck and boardwalk). The1.1-mile Marsh Loop has anobservation platform provid-ing a prime waterfowl view-ing site.

Glacial Park also has onegroup campsite (25people maximum;reservationsrequired) alongthe Nippersink.It’s a 1.5-milehike in and—be forewarned—thebugs can be fiercein summer.

The park itselfprovides habitatfor 18 species ofstate endangeredand threatenedplants and birds,including least bit-terns, sandhillcranes, uplandsandpipers, andnorthern harriers.

Wild turkeys and

northern bobwhite as wellas hazelnut, New Jersey tea,and lead plants, have beenreintroduced to the area.

DIRECTIONS: Take Route 31north of the town ofMcHenry. Make a left ontoHarts Road and travel .6miles to the park entrance.Parking is available at theWiedrich Education Centernorth of the entrance or fol-low the park road around acurve to a parking area eastof the marsh. Other parkingis at a pulloff on KeystoneRd., just east of the inter-section with Barnard MillRd. For information, call(815) 678-4431.

—Debra Shore

G l a c i a l P a r k — McHenry county

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 21

Red-tailed Hawk


woodland

wetland

lakes, ponds

streams

prairie

parking

Tryon Grove R

d.Prairie Trail North

Keystone Rd.

W. Solon Rd.

BOG

Rt. 12

Harts Rd.

Pioneer Rd.

Rt. 31

Barnard Mill Rd.

Wonder Lake

Nippersink Creek

N

N O V E M B E R

Tamaracks turn to gold.In late October and early November, thisconifer’s needles turns bright golden-yel-low in its boggy home. The tamarack isone of few conifers in the world thatloses its leaves (or needles) in winter.

Boardwalk Interpretive Trail at Volo Bog (LakeCounty). Take US Route 12 north of Volo. Turn onBrandenburg Road to entrance.

Bog at Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore—Call (219 )926-7561 x225 to schedule a guidedwalk through a bog bursting with tamaracks atthis national treasure. Reservations necessary.

Ducks migrate south.Thousands of ducks of various speciesgather in large flocks on waterways asthey fly south for the winter. In earlyNovember, you may find blue-wingedteal, green-winged teal, wood duck, mal-lards, northern shovelers, scaup, andother colorful species.

Crabtree Lake and Palatine Marsh at CrabtreeNature Center (Cook County). The entrance is onPalatine Road near intersection of Dundee Roadand Route 59 south of Barrington.

Marshes at Glacial Park (McHenry County). Theentrance is on Harts Road west of Route 31 northof the town of McHenry.

Cattails disperse seeds.Cattails turn to fluffy, cottony masses inthe wetlands, as the wind disperses theseeds. Each cattail possesses thousandsof tiny brown flowers all tightly com-pressed on the top of their stems.

Interpretive Trail at Volo Bog (Lake County).Take US Route 12 north of Volo to Brandenburg.Turn to entrance.

Pike Marsh at Moraine Hills State Park(McHenry County). The entrance is off River Roadin between Routes 120 and 176 near McHenry.

Tampier Slough and Tampier Lake at the PalosPreserves (Cook County). Parking is available onWolf Road south of 131st St. near the towns ofPalos Hills and Palos Park.

D E C E M B E R

Pines adapt to snowfall and attract winter birds.Evergreens grow in cone-like shapeswhich help them shed snow quicklybefore branches get weighed down andbroken. Their cones attract wintermigrants from the north such as redcrossbills and evening grosbeaks.

The Kelly Hertel Trail at Marengo RidgeConservation Area (McHenry County). Theentrance is on route 23 north of Route 176 nearthe town of Marengo.

Conifer collection at Chicago Botanic Garden(Cook County). Take U S Route 41 to Lake CookRoad, east to the Garden entrance, near the townof Glencoe.

Pine grove on Regional Trail at BlackwellForest Preserve (DuPage County). The entrance isoff Butterfield Road east of Route 59 and west ofWinfield Road.

Christmas ferns brighten winter. When other ferns have faded in winter,the Christmas fern, turns forest greenbrightening the woodlands during thecold season. It grows in rocky, shadyterrain.

The northern trail leading to Mud Lake atMcDowell Grove Forest Preserve (DuPageCounty). Entrance is at intersection of McDowelland Raymond Roads near Naperville.

You can also search north-facing slopes alongravines near Lake Michigan.

J A N U A R Y

Animals partake of winterberry’s fruit. The bright red berries of the winterberryattract animals to feed and contrasthandsomely with the white of the snow-covered ground. Winterberries are nativeshrubs that thrive in wet areas includingmarshes and bogs. Both female and maleof this species are necessary for the pro-duction of their lovely red berries.

Volo Bog (Lake County). Take US Route 12 northof Volo. Turn on Brandenburg Road to entrance.

Great Horned Owls court.The Great Horned Owl gives a “hoot” atdusk in the woods hoping to attract amate who will answer back. This owlspecies begins nesting in late December,often choosing old red-tailed hawk nestsin which to raise young. Try these areasand check your local nature preserves forowl prowl programs.

The Trails at Old School Forest Preserve (LakeCounty). Near the town of Libertyville, from theintersection of Route 60 and St. Mary’s Road, gonorth to the forest preserve entrance.

Savanna behind marsh at Lincoln MarshNatural Area (DuPage County). Entrance is nearthe intersection of Gary and Harrison Avenuessouth of Carol Stream, in Wheaton.

Oaks and hickories along Rush Creek (McHenryCounty). The entrance is off McGuire Road in nearthe town of Harvard.

Coyotes scout for prey under the snow.Look for their tracks on snow-coveredprairies and marshes.

Wolf Road Prairie (Cook County). Wolf Road at31st St. in Westchester. Park on the north side of31st west of Wolf.

Goose Lake Prairie (Grundy County) Take I-55south to Lorenzo Road. Follow signs to prairie.

Here’s what’s debuting on nature’s stage in the Chicago Wilderness:by Sheryl De Vore

N a t u r a l E v e n t sC A L E N D A RC A L E N D A R


So much of nature displays a splen-did constancy. Each year at the fallequinox, for example, Bill Howenstinestops shaving. Six months later, at theadvent of spring, Howenstine resumesshaving. This stubborn economydeprives Howenstine, now 72, of theneed for a scarf through the winterand at the same time demonstratesone mammal’s remarkable capacity foradapting to his environment.Besides, what more fitting accouter-

ment than a flowing white beard forthe proprietor of a Christmas TreeFarm? Howenstine and his wife Alicelive on 120 acres in northernMcHenry County known as PioneerTree Farm.Both are inveterate activists and

irrepressible outdoor educators. Bill

Howenstine has served several terms,beginning in 1971, as a Trustee of theMcHenry County ConservationDistrict. Alice has been a seminalforce in the recycling program of theMcHenry County Defenders. Yearsago they ran an environmental educa-tion summer camp at their farm.Indeed their 46-year marriage is testi-mony to a summer camp romancewith staying power!For many years Bill Howenstine

was a professor of geography and envi-ronmental studies and an administra-tor at Northeastern Illinois University.He retired in June 1996. While there,Dr. Robert Betz, a faculty colleague,recruited Howenstine for his fledglingeffort to restore remnant patches ofnative prairies and savannas. “You just

couldn’t avoid getting involved,”Howenstine remembers. “We roameda lot, camped a lot and hiked throughthe forest preserves.” Howenstinedeveloped natural areas and wildlifemanagement courses at Northeasternand many of his students now leadresource management programsthroughout the region.Over the years Bill and Alice,

M e e t Y o u r N e i g h b o r s

Bill and Alice Howenstine: Quietly fighting for environmental justice

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7

Phot

o: R

icha

rd Y

ounk

er/N

orth

east

ern

Illin

ois

Univ

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cBegun in 1984 with a handful of dedicated volunteers, the Volunteer Stewardship Network reports that 10 years later some 6,500 volunteers worked 51,000 hours to help restore 277 different sites throughout Chicago Wilderness.

M e e t Y o u r N e i g h b o r s

sometimes with their three children intow, made extended visits to Mexico,Peru, and Costa Rica to participate incommunity development projects withthe American Friends ServiceCommittee. (Bill and Alice joined theReligious Society of Friends in 1951.)In Peru, for instance, they spent a yearworking in shantytowns organizingseveral producers’ cooperatives—formaking beds, concrete blocks andsewing—and a family planning clinic.Both continue to work with theFriends Committee on Unity withNature, a Quaker environmentalgroup formed in 1987 to explore mem-bers’ spiritual relationships withnature. Bill outlined his philosophy ina lecture titled “Loving the Universe”presented to the Illinois YearlyMeeting of the Religious Society ofFriends in July 1992: “Our labelswould leave us to assume that humansociety and the natural environmentare separate from one another, but inreality we are one whole. Lasting solu-tions for social problems and environ-mental problems are dependent uponone another.” In the San Luis Valley of Costa

Rica, Bill and Alice Howenstine arehelping a small Quaker communitybuy a farm to demonstrate sustainableagriculture. “Our group has startedhelping landless people acquire prop-erty where they can practice conserva-tion techniques and raise coffee as acash crop,” Bill explains. In northernMcHenry County, the Howenstineshave been restoring their own modestplot. The previous owner had plantedcorn, soybeans, and an acre of Scotchpine trees. “We planted more pinesthe first spring we were here,” Billadds,” and we knew we had to thinthem, so we put a little ad in thepaper: Old Fashioned Fun in the Outof Doors—Cut Your Own Tree! Theywere $5 apiece and we sold about 50.”Now they have a thriving annualChristmas tree business—and donatetheir earnings to the Costa Rica pro-ject. “It’s going to be the urban peopleof the world who save the biodiversityof the world,” Bill says. “It may godown the tubes anyway, but it surewon’t be saved without urban involve-ment and that includes people in thecentral city, not just the suburbs.”

—Debra Shore

Anyone who has roamed the woodsand fields of DuPage County for

nigh on seven decades knows full wellthat not all the changes on the landhave been salutary. One such lifelongresident and roamer is John Case, whodecided to do something about theevident decline in his county’s naturalassets when he joined the Board ofCommissioners in 1986. Case, 67, is himself a member of a

vanishing breed, the sole commission-er whose work has kept him rooted tothe land. Born and raised on a dairyfarm, he earned a degree in animal sci-ence from Iowa State University. Casenow owns Case Farms—he and his sonare cultivating 2,500 acres—and

Agrinetics, Inc., a specialty seed busi-ness. “When I came on the ForestPreserve Board, I decided I would lookaround and see what our assets were,”Case recalled, “and they were in prettybad shape, not as I imagined theyshould be kept.” The hardwood forestof Egermann Woods that Case remem-bered from his childhood wanderingshad since been invaded by buckthornand was fast becoming an uninviting,overgrown thicket. Where have all thewildflowers gone? Case wondered.Guided by longtime ecologist

Wayne Lampa, Case assisted in devel-oping a Natural Areas ManagementProgram (now known as NAMP) torestore 9,000 acres of the District’s

John Case:The Case for a Natural Areas Management Plan

Commissioner John Case measuring thegrowth of an oak sapling he had planted ina DuPage County forest preserve.

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 25

highest quality wetlands, woods andprairies by the year 2003. (TheDistrict’s total holdings compriseapproximately 23,000 acres.) WithCase pressing for its adoption, in 1992the Board allocated $11 million fornatural areas management over thenext 10 years. Plans include theexpansion and restoration of a diversemarsh complex at Brewster CreekWetland, part of Pratt’s Wayne Woodsin western DuPage County, forinstance. District employees havebegun removing buried agriculturaltiles to restore the original hydrologyof the area. Wildlife biologists predictthat a variety of migratory birds andwaterfowl will be drawn to the 310-acre complex. Indeed, on a blusteryMarch day at the ceremony to beginwork on the $800,000 project, visitorssaw a sandhill crane swoop in for alanding at the site.After 11 years on the Forest

Preserve Commission, Case is nostranger to controversy. During histerm as president from 1992-94, hevetoed a Commission-approved mea-sure to permit a sewer line through aClass 1 forest next to Black PatridgeWoods in southern Downer’s Grove.“It was a very difficult site with boul-ders and unstable land,” Case recalls,“and it took hundreds of years todevelop that way. If you scar it, it willnever come back. Some people thinkI’m a hero,” he mused, reflecting onhis tough decision. “I’m not. Rightnow, I’m trying to be effective protect-ing the management program.”During the Board’s last budget

cycle, a small group of citizensopposed to restoration sought toremove some funding from the pro-gram, but Case and his fellow commis-sioners retained funding for NAMP.Now he’s working to encourage coop-erative agreements with the HighwayDepartment and various townships toremove buckthorn and honeysucklefrom rights-of-way to prevent thespread of invasive species.“It’s not a short-term program,”

Case says of NAMP. “It will take 25-to-50 years of fairly concentratedeffort to maintain and bring back ourbetter 9,000 acres that we’re workingon. We have 15,000 acres of grasslandand agricultural land that we have yetto determine what to do with. It’s dif-ficult to re-create a prairie,” he adds,

“but if we don’t do something with ourhardwood forests, they won’t regener-ate themselves. In another 10-15 yearsour mature oaks will start to die offand there better be some young stockto replace them.”

—Debra Shore

Rattlesnakemaster: Signal species thatthrives in quality prairies

Early settlers hiking through the 7-foot-tall big blue stem dominat-ing the Chicagoland region’s tallgrassprairies encountered plenty of snakes.They also saw an unusual lookingplant they dubbed the rattlesnakemaster (Eryngium yuccifolium). Theybelieved that rubbing a mixture of theplant’s roots and yucca-like leaves ontheir skin would heal snake bites.While there’s no proof this particu-

lar herbal remedy works, the name ofthe plant has endured, and thankfully,so has the plant. In fact, botanistsconsider the presence of rattlesnakemaster the sign of a relatively undis-turbed prairie. “I can’t ever recall everseeing one except on expanses of qual-ity prairie,” wrote John Madson in hisbook, Where The Sky Began, Land ofthe Tallgrass Prairie.Rattlesnake master has stiff, yucca-

like, sharply toothed leaves and growsup to four feet tall. It thrives amongbig blue stem, compass plant, andother grasses and forbs in mesic ormoderately wet tallgrass prairies. Itcan also sometimes be found in wood-lands but rarely, if ever, on edges ordisturbed land.The rattlesnake master has adapted

well to harsh prairie life. Sunkenpores in the leaves’ upper surfacesreduce water loss during hot, dry sum-mers. Strong cells in the plant’s mar-gins and veins make it difficult forgrasshoppers and other prairie insectsto chew. They usually give up beforecausing the plant any damage. Thenew spring growth, however, provideda tasty, nutritious meal for the earlierhuman inhabitants of the ChicagoWilderness region.By summer, the plant has reached

its prime. Then, tiny white flowers,almost undetectable to the naked eye,emerge, upon 1-inch round, thistle-like heads. Only with a magnifyingglass can one see the flowers’ fivesepals, petals, and stamens.The flowers may not be showy, but

the plant is. Scattered in clumpsamong the grasses, the rattlesnakemaster appears unchallenged, with itsglobe-like flower heads blown freelyby the wind, adding a new dimensionto the flat expanse of the prairie.While providing an interesting tex-

ture to the grassland scenery, the rat-tlesnake master also offers a home to astate-endangered species, a beautifuland rare moth called the rattlesnakemaster root borer. Thought extinct,this rare moth was rediscovered atGoose Lake Prairie in Grundy County.To see this unique member of the

parsley family, head for one of yourfavorite prairies and search for the rattlesnake master.

—Sheryl De Vore

Rattlesnake master can be foundin high-quality prairies.

Phot

o: J

. H

arve

y


FACTS & FICTION For 2 or 3 players

You Will NeedA different coin per player (to be used as game markers) and another coin for flipping.

Playing the Game1. Each person places a game marker at Start.2. The youngest person begins the game by flipping the leftovercoin.“Head” means move two spaces, “tails” means move one space.3. Player one moves as directed and reads the statement from the box he orshe lands on. If the statement is fact, player one flips the coin again andcontinues to play.4. Repeat for every player.5. If a player lands on a “How can you help preserve?” box, he or she slidesdown the arrow and reads the statement, then the player’s turn is over.6. The game ends when one player reaches the finish.

SSTTARARTT

FINIS

HLots of animals such as beavers,

crayfish, great blue herons andeven people need wetlands for food,

shelter, and clean water.

Prairies and oak savannasare harmed by fire.

Much of the woods that oncegrew in the Chicago region

is now protected in parks andpreserves.

How can you help preserve prairies?

River otters can beseen splashing

around in some of theChicago region’s

cleanest wetlands.

People aren’tallowed to

hike, picnic, orwatch birds in

Chicago area wood-lands.

Draw a poster about whyprairies are important

to people and wildlife anddisplay it in school.NEXT PLAYER’S TURN

During storms, wet-lands help control

floods by holding over-flowing river water.

Coyotes no longer live andhunt and howl in Chicago

area woodlands and prairies.

90% of Illinois wetlandshave been drained of

water or filled with soil tomake farms and towns.

Bison neverroamed over

the Chicago regionprairie.

How can you helppreserve wetlands?

Our EcosyOur Ecosyssttems—ems—

Chicago Area Prairie? Where?

P rairies are grasslands with few or no trees. Prairie was

once the most widespread ecosystem in the Chicago

region, but most have been converted to farms or

towns. You can learn about grasslands by visiting

Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester or the prairie at the

Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

FACT

FACT

FICTION

FACT

FACT

FACT

FICTION

FICTION

FICTION

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 27

ARTFFINISH

INISH

What’s an Ecosystem?

It’s a complex web of living things (suchas plants and animals) and non-living

things (such as air, water, soil, and sun-light) in places such as wetlands, grass-lands, and woods.

Chicago Area Wetlands? Where?

Wetlands include swamps,marshes, and bogs. All wet-

lands are covered with water, atleast for part of the year. Youcan visit local wetlands inChicago at Gompers Park.Volo Bog Nature Preserve,near McHenry, also offersa great introductionto the world ofwetlands.

Black bears oncelived in Illinois’woodlands.

Speak up on behalf of wetlands. All water—

dirty or clean—ends up in wetlands

NEXT PLAYER’S TURN

Some grasses and flowerson Chicago region

prairies, such as sunflowersand big bluestem, grow

taller than Michael Jordan.

There are more wetlands inthe Chicago area right now

than there were 20 years ago.

How can you helppreserve woodlands?

The grass you see inlawns today is simi-

lar to natural prairie.

When you visit a forestpreserve, why not

pick up trash to help cleanup the woods?

NEXT PLAYER’S TURN

Some songbirds in the Chicagoregion need wetlands for rest

stops when they migrate becausethis is where they find food andshelter during their long flights.

Owls are now extinct inChicago area woodlands.

You can visit Brookfield Zoo,Morton Arboretum, and the

Chicago Botanic Garden to learnabout plants and animals from

Chicago region wetlands, woodlands, and prairie.

Chicag

o

Area W

oods?

Where?

The C

hicago r

egion on

ce had m

any

kinds of

woods.

The oak

woods

were

prime ha

bitat fo

r such a

nimals

as deer,

elk, wi

ld

turkey,

and the

fox squ

irrel.

A great

place to

start e

xploring

woods

of the

Chicago

region i

s by tak

ing a hi

ke throu

gh your

nearby

forest

preserve

s. Follo

w the tr

ails and

see wh

at type

s of

trees gr

ow ther

e, and w

hat spec

ies of a

nimals

make

their ho

me in t

he wood

s. To see

the reg

ion’s

woods a

s they o

nce we

re, walk

the Dea

d River

Trail at

Illinois

Beach S

tate Par

k in Lak

e

County,

which

features

the spr

eading

trees of

the oak

savann

a. Or vis

it

Ryerson

Woods,

also in

Lake Cou

nty, for

tall

maples

and

oaks.

FACT

FACT

FACT

FACT

FICTION

FICTION

FICTION


How Can You Help Wildlife?• Build a backyard wildlife refuge—Plant native trees and

shrubs to attract animals. Bird baths, feeders, and nestboxes will all do the trick.

• Volunteer—Help restore or manage local natural areas.

• Stay informed—Go to your local library and look for news-paper and magazine articles about conservation issues.

• Start an environment club at school.

• Bike or bus to where you need to go.

R E F E R E N C E SChicago Wilderness, An Atlas of Biodiversity, 1997(see page 29)

Forest Trees of Illinois, by Robert W. Mohlenbrock,Illinois Department of Conservation, Division ofForestry, [no date]

Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers, by Doug Ladd, FalconPress, 1995

A Field Guide to the Wetlands of Illinois, IllinoisDepartment of Natural Resources, 1988

Birds, A Guide to the Most Familiar American Birds(from a Golden Nature Guide Series, Golden Press)

CREDITS: The game and checklist were created by cool folksat Brookfield Zoo and illustrated by Steve Wilkin.

©1997 Chicago Zoological Society. Brookfield Zoo is owned by theForest Preserve District of Cook County and managed by the ChicagoZoological Society.

Living things(plants) that convertsunlight into energywhich provides her-bivores with food.

Animals that eat mainlyplants to survive.

Animals that eatmainly other animalsto survive.

W I L D L I F E CH E C K L I S TNext time you visit a preserve, note which plants and animals are grouped in certain

habitats. Learning to identify species and understanding their roles can give you a deeperappreciation of the order and variety in nature.

Producers Herb ivores Carn i vores

W e t l a n d sp Duckweed p Mallard duck p Marsh hawkp Water lily p Beaver p River otterp Jewelweed p Red-winged blackbirdp Water snakep Willow p Muskrat p Great blue heronp Arrowhead p Crayfish p Osprey

p Snapping turtlep Leopard frog

W o o d sp Oak p White-tailed deer p Raccoonp Basswood p Gray squirrel p Opossump Sugar maple p Chipmunk p Batp Hickory p Flying squirrel p Barred Owlp Black walnut p Woodpeckerp Elm

G r a s s l a n d sp Big bluestem p Prairie vole p Kestrelp Little bluestem p Grasshopper p Red foxp Indian grass p Bob-o-link p Badgerp Needlegrass p Monarch p Coyotep Prairie dock p Ground Squirrel p Wolf spider

p Fox snake

Dr. Tuggle Goes to Washington

Dr. Benjamin Tuggle, a driving forcein the creation of the Chicago

Region Biodiversity Council, one ofthe most visible and effective support-ers of Chicago Wilderness, and thefirst chair of the Council, moved toWashington, D.C. in September toserve as Chief of the Division ofHabitat Conservation for the US Fish& Wildlife Service. “ChicagoWilderness has been the pinnacle ofmy 18 years in conservation,” Tugglesaid at his last meeting as chair of theCouncil. “Never in my wildest dreamsdid I ever envision the building ofanything as significant as this.”

Tuggle’s agency has contributedmore than $620,000 to supportChicago Wilderness projects, includ-ing habitat restoration, publication ofthe Atlas of Biodiversity, and scientificresearch. Dr. Tuggle had been theChicago Field Office supervisor of theFish & Wildlife Service since itsinception in 1991.

New Chair and Vice Chair forBiodiversity Council

At a meeting on September 5, themembers of the Chicago Region

Biodiversity Council selected PhillipD. Peters, executive director of theNortheastern Illinois PlanningCommission, to serve as chair of theCouncil and John Rogner, ActingField Supervisor with the US Fish &Wildlife Service, Chicago FieldOffice, as vice chair.

No Cereal Box Tops Needed —Claim Your Free Atlas Now!

In late summer, the Chicago RegionBiodiversity Council issued Chicago

Wilderness, An Atlas of Biodiversity, a64-page, full-color book describing therare and biologically rich natural com-munities of the region—prairies, oaksavannas, woodlands, marshes, fens,and sedge meadows. An Atlas ofBiodiversity presents the geology, history,and ecology of the region with numer-ous maps and photographs to help tellthe tale.

The Atlas was written by JerrySullivan, now on the staff of the CookCounty Forest Preserve District, withassistance from the ChicagoWilderness science team. For a freecopy, pick up an order postcard atChicago Wilderness member institu-

tions, such as the Brookfield orLincoln Park Zoo, the Field Museum,the Chicago Botanic Garden, and theMorton Arboretum. For a full listingof members—or to preview theAtlas—check out the ChicagoWilderness web site atwww.chiwild.org.

Newspaper In Education

In late October, the Chicago Tribunepublished a special insert on local

biodiversity for the approximately11,000 students in grades 5-9 enrolledin the Newspaper in Education pro-gram. The insert is a joint project ofthe Chicago Wilderness Educationand Outreach team and the Tribune.Based on the natural and geologicalhistory content of the ChicagoWilderness Atlas of Biodiversity, theinsert includes 10-12 activities andfield trip suggestions to ChicagoWilderness sites. “Through this uniquepartnership with the Chicago Tribune,Chicago Wilderness has a great oppor-tunity to reach and educate a verylarge audience,” said team memberSuzanne Saric, an environmental edu-cator with the US EnvironmentalProtection Agency. “This educationalpiece on local biodiversity will helpteachers and students know where togo for some real-life investigation.”Participating classrooms also receiveda poster depicting Chicago Wildernessand a copy of the Atlas of Biodiversity.Chicago Wilderness partner institu-

tions are offering workshops for localteachers on using the supplement andAtlas in their classrooms.

Update on Land Acquisition inLake County

The Lake County Forest Preserveshave been growing, twice as much

as expected. In November 1993, vot-ers approved a $30 million bond refer-endum, with $20 million earmarkedfor land acquisition, thanks to helpfrom The Nature Conservancy ofIllinois and a broad coalition of busi-ness, development, conservation, andcommunity organizations. At thattime, Forest Preserve officials estimat-ed that the $20 million would buyabout 1,000 acres.

Donations, grants, and federal legis-lation have allowed the District toleverage these bond dollars. Thus, ithas acquired 1,544 acres to date andhas commitments to purchase 215acres with remaining funds.

In September, the District Boardof Commissioners purchased 533acres of woods, wetlands, and farm-land in western Lake County for $6.1million, the largest single acquisitionsince 1990. The completed acquisi-tions include additions to existingpreserves such as Fox River, GrassyLake, Lakewood, MiddleforkSavanna, and Ryerson Woods, andnew sites such as Fort Sheridan andGrainger Woods.

At present, the District ownsapproximately 35 acres per 1,000 resi-dents, the highest among Chicago-area forest preserve districts. However,Lake County’s population is quicklyapproaching 600,000 and is expectedto exceed 770,00 by the year 2020.Since the District’s Board ofCommissioners has adopted a goal of40 acres per 1,000 residents in LakeCounty, it is now considering optionsfor funding future acquisitions.

Miracle Grow

“Omy God, that’s it!” Liz Aicheryelled as she surveyed a forest

preserve site where she has served asa volunteer steward in Kane County.It was July 4, the day Aicher set asideeach year to look for the rare prairiewhite-fringed orchid. Since 1993, theUS Fish & Wildlife Service has beenworking with volunteers and staff toassist this federally threatened species

N e w s

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 29


44 spec ies o f w i ld orchids are nat ive to the Chicago reg ion ’s pra i r ies , wet lands and fores ts .

N e w s

in its recovery. (Research botanistMarlin Bowles of the MortonArboretum wrote the draft recoveryplan.)

The Orchid Recovery Projectselected a number of sites where theseplants had either been known to existin the past or where the conditions,such as having sufficient moisture inspring and fall, were deemed suitablefor them. Aicher’s site was one of 28throughout northeastern Illinoiswhere seeds from plants that had beenhand-pollinated were distributed. “A single orchid produces thousandsof seeds,” explains June Keibler, whocoordinated close to 60 volunteersassisting with the recovery project.They’re just like dust.”

In 1993, working at two separateportions of her site marked off as tran-sects, Aicher carefully scraped theground to clear away vegetation, rakedin the precious orchid seeds, and cov-ered them up again. Each year there-after, on July 4th, she carefully exam-

ined the site to see if any plants hadappeared, but none had. This year,Aicher recalls, “My husband called meover to look at a plant because he hadnever seen the orchid and I came overand said, ‘No, that’s not it.’ I turnedaround to go back to the area I wassurveying and there it was, waving atme in full flower!”

Following that discovery, Aicherfound two more flowering orchids onher site, including one that had beenpartially eaten by deer. “I’d neverseen one in person before,” she saidexcitedly, “but it looked just like itspicture.”

Plant Bandits

Plant bandits were the last thing onBonnie Major’s mind. It seemed

like after years of work, the prairiesalong the Old Plank Road Trail whichstretches from Park Forest to Jolietwere finally safe. In July, the sectionfrom Cicero Ave. to Central and sec-tions from Central to Ridgeland were

dedicated as Illinois Nature Preserves,thus affording additional protection tosome of the finest original prairie landleft in the state.

But last May, as Major took a bikeride along the Trail with her younggranddaughter, she observed two menwith buckets digging up plants. “I washorrified,” she said. “I couldn’t believemy eyes.”

“Desist! Illegal!” Major cried, butthe men could not speak English.Instead they kept digging up theblooming plants—shooting stars andhoary puccoons.

Major turned around to call thepolice from a nearby store. When shewas almost out of sight, a van pulledup bearing a company logo on itsdoor. The laborers jumped in and thetruck vanished—before Major couldmake out the name.

Two weeks later, stopping by theTrail on her way home from work topick up trash and debris along the sec-tion from Cicero to I-57, Major saw ayoung cyclist ride by with a bucket fullof plants hanging from his handlebar.A week after that, a Cook County nat-uralist spotted a man loading a bucketfull of prairie plants into his van.

After 14 years of working as avolunteer steward to protect andrestore this site, Bonnie Majorwasn’t willing to let poacherscarry off valuable native plantswithout a fight. She called theIllinois Department of NaturalResources and the MattesonPublic Works Department; theyagreed to post signs identifyingthe area as an Illinois NaturePreserve (where poaching is afelony with a $10,000 maximumfine). She spoke with conserva-tion officers and the RichTownship supervisor. She testifiedbefore the Township Board. Sheand other volunteers spent timealong the trail talking with hun-dreds of people and urging anyonewith evidence of plant poachingto bring it to authorities. (And, inAugust, she found time to marryfellow steward Ray Morrow, whomshe had met at the Plank Roadprairie in 1983.)

The area seems more secure now,Major said, but it was a close call. Sheplans to stay on the lookout, protect-ing the prairie from poachers.

The captivating—and threatened—eastern prairie white-fringed orchid, now reappearing in the region with the help of dozens of volunteers.

Photo: Steph

en Packard

W h a t • W h e r e • H o w

Birds and HabitatManagement

The Bird Conservation Network, acoalition of Chicago area birding

organizations, and the Department ofGeography and Environmental Studiesat Northeastern Illinois University aresponsoring a one-day conference onSaturday, December 6 to explore issuesinvolving habitat management andimplications for bird populations. Theconservation status, habitat needs, andmanagement considerations of breed-ing, migrant, and wintering bird popu-lations will be described for local habi-tats by members of the Illinois scientif-ic community from the IllinoisNatural History Survey, the IllinoisEndangered Species Board, and the MaxMcGraw Wildlife Foundation: ScottRobinson (woodland), Jim Herkert(grassland), Jeff Brawn (savanna) andCharles Paine (wetland). The keynotespeaker, wildlife ecologist StanleyTemple of the University ofWisconsin, will describe problems fac-ing birds of this region. Breakout ses-sions will offer participants a chanceto discuss issues relating to local man-agement projects throughout theChicago Wilderness area.Date: Saturday, December 6Place: Northeastern Illinois University

5500 N. St. Louis Ave.Chicago

Time: 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.Registration: $25. (less for students)For further information, call the

Chicago AudubonSociety at(773) 539-6793

Resource Directory

To learn about volun-teer opportunities,

environmental organi-zations in the region,educational resourcesand conservation issues,job openings andinternships, contact theChicagolandEnvironmental Network:c/o Brookfield Zoo3300 Golf RoadBrookfield, IL 60513(708) 485—0263 x396e-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.cen.nidus.net

The most helpful lady at the otherend of the line is Laura Jasiek Reilly.

Chicago Wilderness on the Web

Want to learn more about ChicagoWilderness and the many pro-

jects underway to study, restore andmanage the biodiversity of this region?Want to find out about member orga-nizations? Volunteer opportunities?Special events? Point your web brows-er to http://www.chiwild.org andexplore Chicago Wilderness on-line.

Walks & Talks“Deer and the Environment”

Join ecologist Wayne Lampa on ahike through Waterfall Glen Forest

Preserve to examine the environmen-tal effects of overabundant deer.Compare sections of this ecosystem—fenced off to exclude deer from forag-ing there—to open habitats wheredeer can forage at will. Wear clothingappropriate for outside winter weather.Date: Saturday December 6,

9a.m. - noonPlace: Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve,

DuPage CountyAdmission: Free, but pre-registration is

required. For additional infor-mation and to register, contact:Robert Jessup, Public ProgramsCoordinator at the SheddAquarium. (312) 939-2426 x3394

Pocket Handbooks

The Lake County Forest Preserveshas produced a series of three,

pocket-sized, full-color brochureson habitat restoration andland management. Handy foranswering questions on ahike, they address theseissues:• Why Can’t Nature Take Its Course?

• You Set Fires in the Forest Preserves?• Why Manage Deer?For a free set, call (847) 367-6640.

From Forest to Park:America’s Heritage of Trees

Aspecial exhibit of books and rarebotanical prints from the

Newberry Library and the MortonArboretum shows how trees shapedAmerica and Americans’ sense ofidentity. Learn about the MortonArboretum (celebrating its 75th

anniversary), view landscape designsby Jens Jensen, and delve into thenatural heritage of Chicago area parks.

On Saturday, December 20 at 11a.m., join co-curators Michael Stieberand Nancy Hart Stieber from theMorton Arboretum and RivaFeshbach from The Newberry Libraryand Boston University for a walkthrough the exhibit.Date: December 10, 1997

March 14, 1998Place: The Newberry Library

60 West WaltonChicago

Admission: FreeInformation: (312) 255-3700

Naturalist Certificate Programin Chicago

The Field Museum and the MortonArboretum offer a series of field-

oriented classes in ecology, botany,zoology, geology and interpretation toguide beginners and experienced natu-ralists through an integrated programof nature study. Programs are offeredat the Field Museum. For more infor-mation or to register, call the MortonArboretum registrar at (630) 719-2468(8:15 a.m. - 3:45 p.m., M-F).

A Tool Kit forNatural Landscapes

The NortheasternIllinois Planning

Commission has devel-oped a three-part Tool Kiton Natural Landscapingfor midwest landowners.Promoting the environ-mental, educational, recre-ational, and economicbenefits of landscapingwith native plants, thetool kit provides practicaladvice for public officials,developers, and individualand corporate landownersseeking to protect orinstall natural landscapes.For a free copy of thesourcebook for public offi-cials or the poster, contactNIPC, 222 S. Riverside Plaza,Suite 1800, Chicago, IL 60606, (312) 454-0400 or find this EPAhome page:http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/

An annotated slide collection is alsoavailable for loan from NIPC.

P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 31


Nat ive Amer icans rubbed nodding w i ld onion (Al l ium cernuum ) p lant par ts over the i r bodies as a natura l insect repel lent .

There’s a little book that I take up from time to timewhen looking for inspiration, Siftings by Jens Jensen.

Jensen’s name deserves to be emblazoned on the portals ofChicago history with Jean Baptiste Du Sable and JaneAddams. But few know him as the man who helped foundour forest preserve network, who helped save the IndianaDunes, and who designed many of Chicago’s great parklandscapes in native style.

When Jensen came here from Denmark in the last half ofthe 19th century, he was fascinated by the prairie, which hesaw in some ways as having a similar affect on the humansoul as the sea in his native land. Prairie nurtured friendli-ness, he said, because it had no strong hiding places, butalso mightiness, because its horizons called to you. Thecombination made for great art and a great people thatJensen felt would come forth in the fullness of time.

A century later, industries have come and gone but thework of Jensen and other like-minded folk endures as thedefining element of this region: the ring of forest preserves,the first such urban system in the world; our mostly openlakefront; the Indiana and Zion dunes; Chicago’s landmarkparks and boulevards, and the greenway network now beingbuilt to extend them across six counties.

It is this legacy that Chicago Wilderness seeks to cele-brate, to update on new planes of ecological understanding,to revive, and to let us all embrace. The name of the con-sortium is itself mystically oxymoronic: Wilderness, com-monly defined as a pristine natural area, does not seem tofit, nor does its older meaning of a kind of bleak wasteland.Yet these meanings both do fit and do not. There is a sensein which modern life has become a spiritual wasteland, anda sense in which a pristine natural wilderness must includehuman society to survive. And vice versa.

The challenges of relationships between humans andnature in this region today are much the same as in Jensen’stime, but with new twists.

There are attempted land grabs of forest preserve areaswith riverboat casinos looming around the bend. There areactivists who make their environmentalism both a scienceand a religion in disregard of the artistry of their work.There are angry critics who see in restoration efforts a dan-gerous cultural heresy.

Yet in Jensen’s day, when the region’s character wasdefined in part by the rediscovery and celebration of its

Chicago Wilderness, Chicago Renaissance?Learning the Lore of the Land by Alf Siewers

The Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum),symbol of Chicago Wilderness and plant forwhich Chicago was named.

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P R E M I E R E I S S U E 1 9 9 7 33

landscape, he happily defined the weaving of a meaningfulrelationship between humans and landscape as a kind ofgardening and, thus, the greatest of civic arts.

“Art must be a guide, a leader, in the evolution ofmankind toward a higher spiritual goal,” he wrote in thatlittle book. “None of the arts is more able to do this thanthat of the garden. It is a living expression of peace andhappiness, and therefore a great influence in the forming ofa people. It matters little if the garden disappears with itsmaker. Its record is not essential to those who follow,because it is for them to solve their own problem, or artwill soon decay. Let the garden disappear in the bosom ofnature of which it is a part, and although the hand of manis not visible, his spirit remains as long as the plants heplanted grow and scatter their seed…Man in his arroganceand conceit passes away. A bird singing over his grave dropsa seed, and out of that seed grows a beautiful tree getting itssubstance from what was once conceited man. So naturegoes on without any vengeance.”

“Who can realize,” he asked at the ending of his extend-ed essay, “the supple power and the emotional forces thatlie hidden in the misty bloom of the witch-hazel in thepurple shadows of the dying day?”

All this is a good reminder for the city in a garden. Thestockyards and steel mills have mostly passed away, and sosomeday will the gambling casinos and shopping malls, butthe preserves and the lakefront shall remain. If both preser-vation and restoration are in a sense gardening, and thus anart, it is because of the way in which they involve people.But the garden endures only as long as its shape reflects theflow of nature in both the environment and people.

Chicago Wilderness is an effort to get us to see theforest because we see the trees and the people in it, torecognize how much the warp and woof of this region isinescapably a bioregion, and how we as a people shapeit and are shaped by it. This is an iconic paradox forwhich there is no simple category besides the sense ofawe that Romantic poets used to call the sublime andthat the religious know as the mystic. You know whenyou walk into a restored oak savanna that it is aestheti-cally right, with its multi-colored flowers and butter-flies. Surveys have shown that people across cultures,in fact, prefer such landscape aesthetically. You knowfrom studies done so far that such involvement of peo-

ple in their landscape increases diversity of species inthe long term and strengthens the presence of thenative species that shaped our region for thousands ofyears before the last few generations of humans arrived.But without involving many people and diverseinsights, efforts such as preservation of natural sites,restoration, and even Chicago Wilderness itself, will bedoomed to failure, or at least to the kind of politicalmarginalization that the earlier Chicago landscape andcultural renaissance met with. That’s because, as Jensennoted from political exile in Door County, working outthe relation between people and landscape is art. Andthat’s why the work of Chicago Wilderness needs to bedone not so much on a blackboard or map as on ametaphoric loom.

The cost of failure is high, as can be seen by the corrup-tion and stagnation that afflicted so much of our regionalculture after the first landscape-linked renaissance loststeam. There is no more singly important project underwaytoday in the Chicago region than Chicago Wilderness if itis rightly understood. And there is an urgent need toinvolve as many people culturally, economically, and envi-ronmentally as possible.

That’s because we are still essentially a rootless culture,an historical ticking time bomb. Except for descendants ofGreat Lakes Indians in our midst, this was not our triballand. If we are to make it our own, we must humbly let itmake us its own first. In the process we will discover, as theearly Celts knew, that in learning the lore of the land, webecome protected by it. Or, as aboriginal elders fromArnhem Land, Australia, put it: “Understand and know theland to know yourself.” Likewise, in our society’s main-stream tradition, God says to Moses in Leviticus: “The landshall not be sold forever; for the land is mine: for ye arestrangers and sojourners with me.”

It is a sense of place we still lack, not just geographicallybut in the network of life, and with it a sense of self. Takenin the right spirit, Chicago Wilderness can help us—asindividuals and as a region—surf the energy of thatepiphany yet to come.

Alf Siewers, formerly urban affairs writer with the ChicagoSun-Times, studies ancient cultures and their interaction withlandscape at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Chicago Wilderness is an effort to get us to see the forest because we see the trees

and the people in it, to recognize how much the warp and woof of this region is

inescapably a bioregion, and how we as a people shape it and are shaped by it.

R e a d i n g P i c t u r e s


Photographer Joseph Kayne thoughtthis picture “just about told the

whole story of the oak woods.”But wouldn’t some people think

the charred log ugly? And if beauty isin the eye of the beholder, then areour perceptions of beauty genetic, oris the appreciation of beauty learned?

Kayne found this scene in a CookCounty forest preserve — just after aprescribed burn in the spring of 1996. “I saw a once-degraded woods comingback to life, all in one square foot,”he said.

Fifteen years ago the site had beenso thick with buckthorn that the soilwas bare and eroding away. But adozen years of restoration, includingfive burns, had worked magic.

The bronzy leaves are scarlet oak.

They hang on the trees all winter,sheltering many birds on cold nights;the birds return the favor by thought-fully leaving fertilizer behind. A fewof these leaves had clung to branchesonly to drop after the spring burnpassed through.

The kinds of trees that grow here—oak, hickory, hazelnut, plum—thrivebest when their fallen limbs andleaves burn from time to time. In fact,they thrive and reproduce only inopen habitats such as are maintainedby occasional fires.

The whirls of yellow are woodbetony—a species found mostly onthe prairie these days, because thewoods are too dark. Unbeknownst toKayne when he set his tripod here,the seeds of these betonies were

broadcast through these woods byrestoration workers starting 10 yearsago. These restored betonies are nowpart of the lives of the pollinators, theherbivores, and the whole complexinteraction of species that make upthe reviving ecosystem.

Some of the now-rare species ofrich woods reproduce best in qualityhabitat. If you look closely just left ofthe log, tiny cotyledons are sprouting.Might these be the cotyledons of thesavanna blazing star, or fire pink, orwoodland puccoon? Who knows whatfuture nature has in mind for thissquare foot?

Photograph taken at Somme PrairieGrove by Joseph Kayne of Deerfield, IL.Words by Stephen Packard.

Black is Beautiful

Photo: Steph

en Packard

Brookfield ZooCalumet Ecological Park AssociationCampton Historic Agricultural Lands, Inc.Canal Corridor AssociationChicago Academy of SciencesChicago Botanic GardenChicago Ornithological SocietyChicago Park DistrictCitizens for ConservationCity of Chicago, Department of EnvironmentThe Conservation FoundationConservation Research InstituteFermi National Accelerator LaboratoryThe Field MuseumForest Preserve District of Cook CountyForest Preserve District of DuPage CountyForest Preserve District of Will CountyFriends of the Chicago RiverFriends of the ParksThe Grove National Historic LandmarkIllinois Department of Natural ResourcesIllinois Natural History SurveyIllinois Nature Preserves CommissionIndiana University NorthwestKane County Forest Preserve DistrictLake County Forest PreservesLake County Stormwater Management CommissionLake Michigan Federation

Lincoln Park ZooLong Grove Park DistrictMax McGraw Wildlife FoundationMcHenry County Conservation DistrictMetropolitan Water Reclamation District

of Greater ChicagoMorton ArboretumThe Nature ConservancyNortheastern Illinois Planning CommissionOpenlands ProjectPrairie Woods Audubon SocietyJohn G. Shedd AquariumSierra Club, Illinois ChapterUrban Resources PartnershipUS Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago DistrictUS Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5US EPA Great Lakes National Program OfficeUS Fish & Wildlife ServiceUSDA Forest ServiceUSDA Natural Resources Conservation ServiceUSDI National Park ServiceSave the Prairie SocietySchaumburg Park DistrictSt. Charles Park DistrictSustain, The Environmental Information GroupThorn Creek Audubon SocietyThe Wetlands Initiative

C H I C A G O W I L D E R N E S S M E M B E R S

ChicagoWILDERNESS

P. O. Box 268Downers Grove, Illinois 60515-0268

BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPermit No. 16

New Richmond, WI54017

Photo: Dave Jagodzinski of Bolingbrook, Illinois

Documents

Chicago WILDERNES S...This area was biologically rich long before European and American set-tlers arrived. “We are in the middle of a convergence of major biomes here,” says Tim