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Lake
County Acquires Two New Forest Preserves
In
April, the Lake County Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners
approved the purchase of the Epstein property, located in
Fremont Township, creating a new 391-acre forest preserve.
"The
Epstein property is a critical link that connects neighboring
2,100-acre Lakewood and 403-acre Ray Lake Farm Forest Preserves,
creating a nearly 3,000-acre greenway," said Al Westerman,
president of the Lake County Forest Preserves. "Large, contiguous
land holdings along the greenway provide for better land
management and wildlife protection, and expanded outdoor
recreation opportunities."
Currently
agricultural fields, the Epstein property also features
oak and hickory woodlands, nine wetlands containing high-quality
sedge meadows, and two open-water ponds. The site’s
wetlands serve as important bird habitat for the least bittern,
black tern, yellow-headed blackbird, black-crowned night
heron, sandhill crane, and the pied-billed grebe spotted
on the site.
The
site’s strategic location near the Broberg Marsh and
its connection to other area wetland habitats helps create
a large macro site complex that expands nesting, breeding
and foraging areas for a variety of wetlands birds. In recent
studies conducted by Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, Broberg
Marsh and the surrounding wetlands were identified as one
of the best wetland breeding bird areas in the Chicago region.
Restoration of the site’s upland areas to native prairie
also will provide excellent habitat for grassland and savanna
wildlife.
In
May, the Lake County Forest Preserve Board of Commissioners
approved the purchase of 467 acres from Abbott Laboratories.
The acquisition, located in Antioch and Newport Townships,
includes 170 acres of century-old bur oak, white oak, shagbark
hickory and black walnut trees, representing the largest
unprotected oak-hickory woodlands remaining in Lake County.
The
site’s strategic location next to the 281-acre Raven
Glen Farm and 75-acre Timber Lake Forest Preserves (purchased
in August 2000) offers a direct linkage creating an 823-acre
preserve. Scattered throughout the site’s oak-hickory
woodlands are small, isolated forest ponds that hold water
in the spring and early fall. These ponds, along with two
wetlands bordering the high-quality Old Mill Creek stream
corridor, and several creeks that flow into the site’s
prominent 60-acre Rasmussen Lake, provide valuable wildlife
habitat and food sources for a variety of birds, mammals
and reptiles.
The
new 467-acre forest preserve has been named Ethel’s
Woods in honor of Ethel Untermyer of Riverwoods, who led
a successful referendum campaign in 1958 that formed the
Lake County Forest Preserves. Ethel took action to fulfill
the request of her three-year-old son, Frank, who wanted
a place to play in the woods.
For
more information or for a free preserve packet containing
a map and guide of the Lake County Forest Preserves, and
a set of trail maps, call (847) 367-6640. Visit http://www.co.lake.il.us/forest/
to subscribe to the Horizons newsletter or to download the
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