Forest Preserve District Celebrates Prairie Bluff Preserve Land Transfer

Submitted by the Will County Forest Preserve District

Photo: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Wayne Rosenthal, left, Forest Preserve Board President Suzanne Hart, center, and Lockport Township Park District Board President Jeff Rigoni withstand blustery conditions on Oct. 1 during a land transfer celebration at Prairie Bluff Preserve in Crest Hill. Legislation approved by the state will transfer 476 acres to the Forest Preserve District and 82 to the Park District to better protect Prairie Bluff’s natural resources and to facilitate an expansion of Brent Hassert Park.

Officials gathered on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Prairie Bluff Preserve in Crest Hill to celebrate legislation that will protect 558 acres of environmentally significant land for generations to come.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is transferring 476 acres to the Forest Preserve District of Will County and 82 acres to the Lockport Township Park District for $1. Both parcels are located between Renwick Road and Division Street, west of Route 53. While the transfer price is low, the acreage is priceless because of the role it plays in recharging the aquifer and supplying groundwater that supports several endangered species.

“Because of the efforts of the Forest Preserve, the Park District, the Department of Natural Resources and our state legislators, we are meeting the needs of open space conservation and the protection of natural resources while at the same time transforming farmland into a recreational hub that enriches the quality of life for area residents,” said Forest Preserve Board President Suzanne Hart of Naperville.

As a way of thanking all who helped make the transfer a reality, partner awards were presented Thursday to: IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal; Col. Christopher Drew, Chicago district commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Louise Clemency, Chicago field office supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Randy Heidorn, director of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission; and Joe Roth, director of restoration programs for Openlands. Also receiving awards were: state Rep. Emily McAsey, state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., state Rep. Natalie Manley and former state Rep. Brent Hassert. (State Sen. Pat McGuire was out of town and could not be present to accept his award.)

Efforts to convert Stateville Correctional Center farmland into open space began 20 years ago when Hassert helped the Park District search for land for a public golf course.

That initiative led to the creation of the Park District’s Prairie Bluff Golf Course and Brent Hassert Park. While the golf course and Hassert Park are owned by the Park District, Prairie Bluff and the 82-acre future park site along Division Street were both being leased from IDNR for 20 years beginning in 2007. The legislation signed into law on July 23 by Gov. Bruce Rauner paved the way for the preserve and the future parkland to be protected in perpetuity by transferring them to the Forest Preserve District and Park District.

Prairie Bluff’s role in providing water to Lockport Prairie was highlighted during the celebration, which was held at Prairie Bluff’s picnic shelter. Rain that falls on Prairie Bluff seeps into the soil, hits limestone bedrock and flows east toward Lockport Prairie where it feeds that preserve’s rare dolomite prairie.

“More than half of the high quality wet dolomite prairie in the world is located at Lockport Prairie,” said Forest Preserve Board Commissioner Lauren Staley-Ferry, who represents the District that includes Prairie Bluff. “The site supports the federally endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly and leafy prairie clover, the federally threatened lakeside daisy, and nine other state listed species.”

Clemency said Lockport Prairie is a nationally important resource because it is home to the world’s most genetically diverse population of Hine’s emerald dragonflies.

To date, the Forest Preserve District has spent more than $2 million on hydrology improvements, natural community restoration and recreational enhancements at Prairie Bluff and those efforts will continue. The preserve’s recreational component includes a 3.2-mile paved trail and a picnic shelter.

The Park District’s Hassert Park features softball, soccer and lacrosse fields, a splash park, and an accessible playground. The land transfer will expand Hassert Park south to Division Street.