Land Conservancy Receives Funding for Restoration at Prairie Ridge Fen

08-23-2002

The US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Conservation Fund have awarded the Land Conservancy of McHenry County a grant for $16,239 to manage invasive species at the Prairie Ridge fen and conduct outreach with the homeowners at the adjacent Prairie Ridge subdivision.

The fen is located at the intersection of Route 14 and Dean Street in Woodstock, and was protected by the Land Conservancy and the City of Woodstock in 1996. The City owns the land and the Foundation holds a conservation easement to ensure preservation in perpetuity. The Land Conservancy also has responsibility for restoration and management of the property.

The fen was identified as an important natural resource in McHenry County during the Countywide Natural Areas Inventory of 1998. The wetland sits at the headwaters of the Kishwaukee River, and is fed primarily by groundwater seepage into the site. Stormwater detention for the adjacent subdivision was designed to help ensure that the water quality within the wetland remains at a high level.

Much of the funding will be used to contract with professional natural areas managers to come in and remove invasive tree and shrub species such as European buckthorn, and invasive plants like reed canary grass and Canada thistle. The contract work, combined with the efforts of local volunteers will help enhance and safeguard the natural resource values of the property.

Outreach will be designed to inform residents in the Prairie Ridge subdivision about the natural resource values of the wetland, what they can do to help safeguard the area, and how they can get involved with the Land Conservancy.

The funding for this project comes from the Northeastern Illinois Wetlands Conservation Account that is adminstered by The Conservation Fund and US Fish and Wildlife Service.