Into the Wild

Pratt’s Wayne Woods

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DuPage County, IL

VISITORS TO PRATT’S WAYNE WOODS in far northwest DuPage County have a lot of room to roam. Hikers can walk more than eight miles of trails through the largest forest preserve in DuPage County, nearly 4,000 acres, traversing gently rolling meadows and passing thick marshes. Small groves of woodlands dot the landscape. The Elgin branch of the Illinois Prairie Path runs along its southwest edge.

But what makes the preserve most special is the wildlife that has been returning and breeding in the grasslands and wetlands, which have been under restoration for nearly a decade. That’s especially true of birds: the state-listed sandhill crane, yellow-headed blackbird, Henslow’s sparrow, and least bittern, among others, breed here now.

“This has become a birder’s paradise. And with all of the resources, wildlife is really doing well,” said Scott Meister, animal ecologist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The preserve becomes a Motel 6 for dozens of bird species that stop there during spring migration, and a treetop condo complex of great blue heron nests rises up in the northeastern portion of the preserve near Route 59 and Stearns Road.

The size of Pratt’s Wayne and the adjoining James “Pate” Philip State Park allow beaver, fox, coyote and other mammals to roam relatively easily, Meister said.

As they traverse the trails, visitors see what appear to be dot-sized splotches of color; on closer inspection, they’re lush wildflowers. Scattered throughout the open meadows is the pale yellow blossom of the wood betony. The tiny yellow blooms of the marsh marigold and the rich purple flowers of the blue flag iris sprout near Brewster and Norton Creek Marshes in the northwest portion of the preserve.

For decades, the area was devoid of wetlands and prairie, since farmers had installed clay drain tiles and plowed the land. But in 1994, district staff began breaking up clay tiles in the area of Brewster Creek, in the northeast corner of the preserve. They restored wetlands, reseeded and burned grasslands, and cleared buckthorn and other nonnative species. They planted several species of oak. Nearly half of the preserve is now under management, said John Oldenburg, director of the district’s office of natural resources.

This all has provided more room for wildlife to look for water and food, more cover to breed, and more safety from predators and human encroachment.

That some of the land has returned to health as much as it has, sometimes in a matter of two to three years, is “truly amazing,” said Scott Kobal, the district’s plant ecologist.

“As restoration continues and the preserve matures there will be more plant diversity, and that will lead to a greater variety of wildlife, and insects and more birds,” he said. “That will be truly exciting.”

Restoration efforts are ongoing. A group workday can be arranged in advance at (630) 933-7681.

—Deborah Kadin