2003
Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards Descriptions
Local Government (7)
Chicago Park District
Jackson Park Lagoon Rehabilitation
Chicago, IL
Project Size: approximately 45 acres
Contact: Shirl McMayon
Beginning in 2001, the restoration of the lagoon at Jackson Park
took three years to complete at a total cost of $3.5 million.
Project goals included: 1) restoration of the ecological balance of
the lagoon and surrounding buffer landscape; 2) preservation of the
historic Olmsted landscape; and 3) accommodation of contemporary
visitor use patterns.
Water level control at Jackson Park lagoon was achieved through
the installation of the large water control structure and weir
visible at the outfall of the lagoon into Lake Michigan. A new force
main moving clean, oxygenated water from Lake Michigan into the
Columbia Basin improves water quality The shorelines around the
lagoon and islands were restored with native wetland plants.
Non-native invasive woody plants were removed from the lagoon’s
banks and islands and replaced with native oaks, plums, and hawthorn
trees, in addition to thousands of native shrubs, wildflowers, and
grasses. Winding pathways and recycled boardwalks guide visitors
through this restored native landscape.
City of Chicago
Chicago Center for Green Technology
Chicago, IL
Project Size: 4 acres
Contact: Grace Troccolo
The Chicago Center for Green Technology is a rehabilitated
brownfield; a former dump site from which 600,000 tons of
construction and demolition debris was cleared. The site is now home
to an environmentally sustainable facility where people can learn
how to make their own homes and businesses more energy efficient and
environmentally friendly.
The philosophy behind the landscape parallels that of the
building. The objective was to create an aesthetically pleasing and
biologically diverse landscape that users and visitors can enjoy and
learn from as well as attracting birds, butterflies and other
wildlife, and to do this without requiring heavy watering, chemical
treatments and mechanical maintenance.
The site features a native wetland landscape which has already
become home to a Mallard family and a Kildeer, as well as a variety
of non-invasive insects. The parking lot, paved with a reflective,
non-toxic surface, features an absence of curbs so that driveway
waste is filtered through the bioswales before it reaches the
detention pond. The landscape is planted entirely with native
prairie, savanna and wetland plants that will provide a botanically
diverse site that will attract many native species of insects, birds
and small mammals. Many of these plants provide a good food source
of seeds and berries. We have created the base for a sustainable,
ecological series of landscape habitats that will evolve over time
into a healthy, functioning natural landscape community.
Crystal Lake Park District
Sterne's Fen Nature Preserve, Protection and Stewardship
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Project Size: 180.5 acres
Contact: Rita Hickman
The Crystal Lake Park District dedicated Sterne's Fen as an
Illinois Nature Preserve in 1994. Since that time, the Park District
has encouraged and participated in restoration and management of
this rare fen wetland community. That restoration effort has
included removal of invasive species and controlled burns. This rare
fen wetland, of which only 142 acres survive in the entire state,
has flourished under the auspices of the Crystal Lake Park District
and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.
Sterne's fen supports three rare graminoid fen wetland complexes
that were identified on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory. Only
142 acres of this type of fen wetland survive in the entire state.
Additionally, Sterne's Fen Nature Preserve supports 191 native plant
species, including 10 species listed by the Illinois Dept. Natural
Resources as Endangered or Threatened.
Lake County Forest Preserves
Independence Grove Forest Preserve
Libertyville, Illinois
Project Size: 1,100 Acres
Contact: Steve Messerli
Opened in 2002, Independence Grove is an 1100-acre Forest
Preserve located adjacent to the Des Plaines River that includes a
300-acre outdoor recreation and environmental education area which
was born through an ambitious reclamation of a former sand and
gravel quarry. The Preserve features a 115-acre lake, over seven
miles of trails, swimming beach, marina, Visitors Center with
educational exhibits and cafe, Native Garden and lakefront plaza. It
was designed as a gateway to introduce outdoor recreation visitors
to native landscaping and other aspects of the Forest Preserve
District’s mission.
The 300-acre activity area around the lake at Independence Grove
represents one of the largest native landscapes in the Chicago area,
and rivals those found in botanic gardens throughout the country.
Native aquatic plantings are featured along the 4.5-mile shoreline
of the lake and also at the ornamental pond located in the Native
Garden. While these native landscapes were being established with
many thousands of live woody and herbaceous plants, the vast
majority of the remaining acreage was seeded with native prairie
seed or planted with native trees and shrubs. North of the lake, the
75-acre St. Francis Woods represents one of the highest quality
examples of remaining pre-settlement forest found in Lake County.
Native landscaping is promoted through programming, volunteers and
annual plant sale.
Village of Frankfort
Frankfort Prairie Park
Frankfort, Illinois
Project Size: 13.6 acres
Contact: Howard Sloan
In 1995, Dr. William Zales, Professor of Botany discovered a
native prairie remnant containing over 43 different species of
prairie plants. Dr. Zales rated the site as "a high quality natural
area". The Village of Frankfort wished to preserve the area and set
about acquiring the prairie remnant and surrounding property for the
creation of a Prairie Park. In 2001, the Village hired a leading
native plantings consultant to design and develop a restoration and
preservation plan for the area. The plan included the preservation
of the native prairie area, restoration and creation of eight (8)
acres of native tall grass prairie including 3-4 acres of wet
prairie, a two (2) acre fishing pond with emergent shoreline and
treatment train of best management practices consisting of natural
swales, rocky stream, stilling pools, sediment basins and natural
aeration system. Over 150 species of native flowers and grasses
thrive within the park.
Village of Park Forest
Central Park Wetland Restoration Project
Park Forest, IL
Project Size: 45 acres
Contact: John Joyce
During the last three years the Village of Park Forest has
undertaken the restoration of a tiled 45-acre wetland bog located
right in the center of the community.
By the early 80’s rough terrain and the high cost of mowing resulted
in the discontinuation of mowing. In 1999 the South Suburban Mayors
& Managers Association selected the site as a Watershed
Demonstration Project. Through a grant from SSMMA, a wetland
restoration and management plan was prepared for the site. Since
that time, with the assistance of three grants, restoration
activities have continued.
Village of Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills Village Hall Complex
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Project Size: 1.3 acres
Contact: Evan Teich
Use of native plantings and grasses around our water detention
pond and grounds. Use the natural landscaping as a model for
potential developers in the area.
Corporate (6)
Butterprint Farm Rural Wildlife Preservation
Monee, Illinois
Project Size: 7.9 acres
Contact: Bill Banks
An old farm with a very interesting history was purchased by
naturalist Bill Banks and his wife Diane as a site to rehabilitate
and release wildlife. Twenty one acres of the farm are planted in
pumpkins, corn, and cereal rye. Much of the rest is devoted to
native plantings.
A portion of the woodland was restored back to an original pond
using native aquatic plantings. The remaining woodland was planted
with native woodland wildflowers. A 2 acre native prairie, now in
its 16th year of restoration, contains native plants collected from
the surrounding area and roadsides. Another native prairie was
established in the front of the farm utilizing the existing seed
bank in the soil.
In the month of October, we educate the public on early farm life
and talk about native habitats and wildlife not seen closer to
Chicago. Last year, an adult Bald Eagle swooped low down to the
ground right in front of a hay wagon full of visitors. Many people
throughout the farm were amazed. We want to educate the public on
the importance of protecting early farms for wildlife habitat and as
refuges for local wildlife.
Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy
Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve
Chesterton, IN
Project Size: 167 acres
Contact: Katie Rizer
Coffee Creek Center is a 640 acre sustainable development in
Chesterton, Indiana. The focal point of this development is the
167-acre Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve. This natural area contains
a variety of unique habitats in various states of quality - mesic
woodlands, beech bluffs, oxbow wetlands, seeps, marsh, floodplain,
pasture and Coffee Creek. These habitats have been the subject of
intense restoration efforts for the past 7 years to bring back to
life a piece of native Indiana.
Through exotic species control, burning, planting and over 3,000
linear feet of stream bank and channel restoration, the native
biodiversity has improved. Public spaces within the Preserve invite
people to visit and appreciate the restoration work and native
plantings. Throughout the development (which is 15+ yrs from build
out) native plantings help to connect the built and non-built places
on site. Multi-use trails allow easy access depending on the habitat
sensitivity. Annual long-term monitoring evaluates the restoration
process and allows adjustment to the management plan into the
future.
ConopCo Realty & Development, Inc.
Sears Prairie Stone
Hoffman Estates, IL
Project Size: 780 acres
Contact: Aris Hantgos
Sears Prairie Stone is the world headquarters of the Sears Robuck
Co. plus a business park. Natural Landscaping is used throughout the
whole area to provide beauty, habitat, and low maintence landscape.
We try to burn all prairie areas in the spring. We are actively
combatting big weedy areas. We do transect studies and replant areas
that do not establish well. We have a huge wetland in the middle of
the property and we have planted many areas with native prairie to
help biodiversity and provide habitat. Detention ponds and vegetated
swales help to manage the stormwater on the site. There are hundreds
of birds and amphibians and reptiles and mammals and insects living
on the property. The central wetlands connects two large Cook County
forest preserves and is a natural corridor for wildlife migration.
Fuller Park Community Development
Eden Place Nature Center
Chicago, Illinois
(43rd Pl. and Stewart Avenue)
Project Size: 3 acres
Contact: Michael Howard
Eden Place is a doorway for the Southside residents of Chicago to
the world of nature. Aspiring to provide a live simulation of a
nature preserve; providing a bio-diversified environment exploring
the mechanics of a wetland, prairie, and woodland.
The entire prairie and wetland consist of native plants and half
of the perennial bed consists of flowers and plants native to
Illinois. Eden Place has seen the return of a myriad of wildlife.
Our resident pair of Mallard ducks and a red shouldered hawk who
claims the site as his hunting ground are just a few of the examples
of wildlife returning to the area. The most recent returns have
included raccoons, rabbits, cardinals, and a paragon falcon.
Prairie Sun Consultants
Prairie Sun
Naperville, IL
Project Size: 1/3 acre
Contact: Patricia Armstrong
We started out with only one native plant on our property. We
planted over 300 different native species of trees, shrubs, vines,
prairie grasses and wildflowers, ferns, and woodland wildflowers. We
now have terrific bird and insect habitat and low maintenance,
beautiful all year landscape in our urban yard.
We burn the prairie every March. We census blooming species twice
a month. We keep records of birds, insects and other wildlife
observed. We have created habitat that draws about 75 different
species of birds and hundreds of kinds of insects. There are 20
nesting species of birds.
The prairie soaks the rain into the ground so there is almost no
run off from the property.
Universities Research Association
Fermilab Main Injector Mitigation Project
Batavia, Illinois
Project Size: 10
Contact: Rod Walton
This project consists of approx. ten acres of constructed
wetland, seven acres of which is forested, and the remaining three
acres are sedge meadow. The wetland was constructed as mitigation
for six acres of wetland destroyed as part of a very large
construction project in 1993. Realizing the difficulties inherent in
wetland creation, we chose the site very carefully, took special
pains in grading and supplying the wetland with salvaged soil from
the original area disturbed, and provided a very diverse mixture of
species as seed and plugs to get the project off to a good start.
Tree species used were swamp white oak, white oak, ashes, maples,
etc.
The site continues to be monitored and managed. It is home to
numerous uncommon species, including Grasshopper and Henslow’s
Sparrows and various butterflies (e.g., dion skippers, coppers,
fritillaries, etc.) It is contiguous to restored tall grass prairie
on three sides, forming a diverse and extensive ecotone area.
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