Citgo, Conservation Foundation Team Up To Protect Heritage Quarries

The Citgo Refinery in Lemont led a volunteer effort that brought nearly 300 people to the Heritage Quarries Recreation Area for a preservation and protection project.

The restoration effort was completed in the Fall with the aid of The Conservation Foundation, a regional organization dedicated to environmental projects with more than 4,000 volunteers.

“The large volunteer showing is a testament to how the environment can benefit from collaborative efforts,” said Dan Lobbes, director of land protection at The Conservation Foundation, in a press release sent to Patch.

During the project — part of the the Citgo Caring for Our Coast initiative — volunteers helped remove invasive plant species that pose a threat to native wildlife of the Heritage Quarries, according to the press release.

“CITGO has been long committed to protecting the environment for the benefit of generations to come,” said Jim Cristman, vice president and general manager of the CITGO Lemont Refinery, in the press release.

The Heritage Quarries were mined for limestone, discovered during the construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, from from 1850 to 1900, according to the village website. After the quarries were no longer used, water filled the depressions creating the freshwater lakes that make up the recreation area just half a mile east of downtown Lemont.

[Photo courtesy of Village of Lemont]