Fall 2002

A little-known but important refuge for regional wildlife, this preserve also offers good hiking and exploration opportunities

Cook County, Illinois

Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve is probably one of the lesser known and least visited forest preserves in Cook County. But at just under 4,000 acres, this significant tract of open space preserved amidst rapidly developing suburbs represents an important refuge for regional wildlife. It also offers plenty of opportunity for hiking and exploration.

A maze of mowed walking and horse trails criss-crosses the preserve from its southern boundary at Higgins Road north to Dundee Road. The paths meander through the patchwork landscape of woodlands, fields, ponds, and wetlands, so a compass or a well-seasoned sense of direction is a must.

There's plenty of birdlife to command the attention of binocular-toting visitors. Alan Anderson, who has conducted bird counts in the southern half of Spring Creek Valley preserve for years, claims that its Dog Training Area "is the best shrubland area in Cook County." There he regularly finds nesting orchard orioles, yellow-breasted chats, willow flycatchers, and blue-winged warblers. The open grassy areas host breeding bobolinks and meadowlarks. Anderson reports that he used to find marsh wrens and moorhens in the low-lying marshy areas but that in recent years the marshes have dried up and the birds have left.

Not far to the west, the oak woodlands around Beverly Lake teem with migrating songbirds in mid May. Bluebirds once nested in the more open areas beyond the woods, and native spring flora colored the woodland floor. But in recent years, buckthorn and other brushy invaders have choked the open fields and woodland understory. Red-tailed hawks make frequent appearances, and great horned owls can sometimes be spotted gliding silently into the woods.

Birds are not the only wildlife finding sanctuary in the preserve. A good variety of amphibians and reptiles make their homes in the ponds and fields. I remember a walk one mild February day when I was surprised to encounter troops of tiger salamanders crawling through the grass. Both red fox and gray fox have been spotted in recent years. Coyotes appear more and more frequently. And, of course, white-tailed deer are almost expected company for any hiker.

This southern section of Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve was assembled largely between 1955 and 1975, when the Forest Preserve District acquired several substantial farms. The most recent acquisition was 15 acres at the corner of Penny and Healy Roads, bought by the district several years ago.

The nonwooded areas of these former farms were sown in row crops. Even after the district acquired the land, much of it was leased to grow corn, soybeans, and hay. When the leases expired, much of the preserve was "very open," according to Chet Ryndak, former superintendent of conservation. Without active management, the last 20 years have brought an explosion of buckthorn and other invasive species, though some meadows still persist.

Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve offers a rich opportunity for reclaiming open oak groves and marshes, and reestablishing native grasslands. With the swell and swale of morainal topography in the western part, and the flatter sections of Spring Creek watershed to the east, it holds promise as a visually stunning as well as ecologically significant natural area. The district has no current plans for active management, but the restoration initiatives underway at Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, just a few miles south, and at various sites to the north owned by Barrington's Citizens for Conservation, might serve as replicable models.

Meanwhile, the opportunity simply to explore a large, undeveloped, and unmarked landscape is a precious one. A visitor can easily spend the better part of a day walking the trails south of Dundee Road. The intrepid explorer can reach the northern section of the preserve via a tunnel beneath Dundee Road. But that's another day and another story.

— Wendy Paulson