Restoration Workdays

 

Volunteer information for restoration workdays

This large 582-acre preserve features a 40-acre mature woodland with large oaks, a prairie and wetlands. Last year 1,000 oak saplings as well as 8,000 wetland species were planted at this preserve. In addition, one hundred and forty-five acres were restored to native prairie habitat.

Full of rare plants and geological and cultural history, Bliss Woods is a 231-acre preserve with high ecological diversity. The preserve holds an 18-acre wetland basin, which is surrounded by a band of woods holding the county’s only stand of endangered Golden Seal. Also in the woods are the rare Spikenard and several delicate ferns, such as the Maiden Hair Fern, Fragile Fern, Marsh Shield Fern and Sensitive Fern. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Bliss Woods is the esker, east of Bliss Road. This geological feature is a winding ridge of stratified gravel deposited by a sub-glacial river. The esker’s slopes hold two distinct woodland habitats, one with Sugar Maple and Basswood-Linden trees and the other with Oak and Hickory trees. The floors of these woodland habitats are covered with wildflowers like Hepatica, Blood Root, Dutchman’s Breeches and Solomon’s Seal. Restoration is underway to keep these woodland ephemerals in bloom.

Beautiful vistas and rolling terrain are the outstanding features of the largest preserve in the system (602 acres). Burnidge is a series of watersheds filtering into Tyler Creek. The size, various soil types and the high water table provide great habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species. Restoration efforts here focus on the woodland habitat, found in the center of the preserve. Twenty-five acres of woodland were “opened up” using forestry machinery, allowing native plants to come back and reestablish in the area.

Nelson Lake Marsh, a dedicated State Nature Preserve, is without question, one of the largest and finest natural areas in Kane County. This wet basin is a product of a late melting ice mass from the last retreating glaciers some 10,000 years. Beneath this basin runs an older bed rock canyon and along with the surrounding gravel hills combine to furnish an abundant and complex source of water that thwarted early pioneer attempts to drain the area for agricultural use and consequently much of the original rich habitat remains intact. This 983-acre preserve features wetlands, woodlands and prairies. The Dick Young Forest Preserve benefited from the planting of 1,500 oak saplings and the return of 100 acres of farmland to prairie during the past year.

In this 450-acre preserve, glacial kettle pockets defined by the wooded hill (kame) and drumlins create a panorama of habitats ranging from the spectacular to the cozy secluded nooks.  Freeman Kame is one of our highest rated natural areas and from "Wild Plants and Natural Areas", "....40 acres of this exceptional mix of habitats that now provides a very valuable window to our past and a link to the protection of a host of wildlife forms. The quiet splendor and richness of this place transcends description, and it is a humbling experience to witness this interesting native pageant." Consisting of many different habitats, many of them wetlands, this site is prime spot to continue restoration efforts and maintain its environmental integrity.

With the relic Murray Prairie, the restored Horlock prairie, the meandering Ferson Creek, flood plain forests, seeps, oak woodlands and grassy fields, LeRoy Oakes is a varied and beautiful landscape. Set on 353 acres and connecting with the Great Western Trail, the preserve offers a great mix for those looking for passive or active recreation. Also situated on the property is the historic Pioneer Sholes School and Durant House Museum, operated by the Pioneer Sholes School Society and Preservation Partners, respectively. Restoration is actively taking place in the prairies and grasslands, mainly concentrating on seed collection and invasive species removal.

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