Prairie Bluff Preserve, Lockport Prairie Ecosystem Restoration Project Completed

LOCKPORT, IL —After 40,000 hours of work over six years, the Forest Preserve District of Will County has finished a major ecosystem restoration project at Prairie Bluff Preserve and Lockport Prairie.

Officials gathered at that spot on May 31 for a ribbon-cutting to announce the completion of the six-year $8.3 million project, the preserve said in a release. Speaking at the ribbon-cutting were U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood; Col. Kenneth Rockwell, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District; Forest Preserve Board President Annette Parker and Conservation Department Director Andrew Hawkins.

The project was funded and overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the Forest Preserve District of Will County. More than half of the restoration funding was provided by the federal Water Resources and Development Act, according to the preserve.

The Army Corps invested $5.5 million in federal aquatic ecosystem restoration funds into the land, and the Forest Preserve contributed $2.8 million in land value.

“Today, thanks to this project, nearly 400 native plant species have been identified within the preserve and at least nine of those are identified as threatened or endangered,” Underwood said in a release. “It is critically important that we take steps like this to conserve our public land and our waters and preserve and protect our vital ecosystems.”

“As we continue to work in Congress to pass WRDA for 2024, it is projects like this one that meet our community’s needs that I hope will continue to benefit from this funding,” Underwood added. “This project is an investment in the resilience of our communities that will make sure that our public lands and our public waters are safe, clean and accessible for generations to come.”

Rockwell said the completion of the project is a momentous occasion that stands as a testament to USACE’s and the federal government’s unwavering commitment to preserving and restoring natural ecosystems.

In addition to restoring prairie at Prairie Bluff, the nearby Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve’s delicate and rare ecosystem was enhanced with the removal of invasive species and a more reliable underground flow of water, according to the preserve.

The restoration involved invasive species removal, controlled burns, and planting 79 different species of native seeds and tens of thousands of native vegetation plugs, he said.

“Lockport Prairie is a gem nestled within Illinois, and it holds a special place within this community,” Rockwell added in a release “Its dedication as an Illinois nature preserve site speaks volumes about its ecological and historical significance to the community and to the state."

Lockport Prairie, situated along the Des Plaines River, features wet and wet-mesic dolomite prairie, which are among the most critically imperiled natural communities on Earth, the preserve said. As a result of this unique geological setting, the preserve is home to several federally- and state-threatened and endangered species.

Initially, the Army Corps replaced agricultural fields with native prairie species at Prairie Bluff and removed invasive species at Lockport Prairie. Prescribed burning was used to keep the prairies healthy. Also, the underground water system at Prairie Bluff was restored so it flows south unimpeded under Route 53 to Lockport Prairie.

Lockport Prairie is one of the highest quality habitats we have in Will County, the Forest Preserve’s Hawkins said.

“Lockport Prairie contains nearly half of the high-quality wet dolomite prairie in the world,” he said. “It is an ecosystem that relies on stable discharge of ground water that maintains suitable habitat conditions for both threatened and endangered species.”

Before the Forest Preserve acquired the two preserves, the 319-acre Lockport Prairie site served as a flood control area for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and the 476-acre Prairie Bluff was a prison farm for the nearby Stateville Correctional Center.