Weekend Explorer

Kankakee Sands

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Newton County, Indiana

by Marty Lucas

Sixty-four miles south of downtown Chicago, across the Kankakee River in Indiana, the sky opens wide to embrace the sprawling expanse of Kankakee Sands preserve. Here conservationists are restoring prairie habitat on an audacious scale.

At more than 7,200 acres, Kankakee Sands is the big heart of a contiguous collection of large preserves straddling the Indiana-Illinois border (see “Roaming”). Once The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased Kankakee Sands in 1997, these properties interlocked like jigsaw puzzle pieces to form a single landscape-scale preserve — more than 21,000 acres of prairies, wetlands, and sand savannas.

The site of TNC’s Kankakee Sands headquarters off U.S. 41 was once an island surrounded by Indiana’s largest body of water, Beaver Lake, part of the vast Grand Kankakee Marsh. In the mid-1800s, the rise — now mostly removed to provide fill for highway construction — was known as Bogus Island, a notorious haven for horse thieves, rustlers, and fugitives. In 1873, land baron Lemuel Milk dug “The Big Ditch,” and Beaver Lake surged away into the Kankakee River, its sandy bed converted to agriculture.

As big as it is, TNC’s property doesn’t encompass all of the former lakebed, and roads now cross the area. So while it wasn’t feasible to restore Beaver Lake to its past glory, a new opportunity emerged — to restore a sprawling grassland ecosystem, particularly rare wet sand prairie, for animals requiring large open spaces.

The big sky over Kankakee Sands provides plenty of room for grassland birds to spread their wings, and birding is among the preserve’s biggest attractions. Bobolinks, Henslow’s and grasshopper sparrows, and dickcissels breed here in summer. Sandpipers frequent the shallow marshes. Snow geese and sandhill cranes have begun stopping over during migration. Northern harriers and short-eared owls are common in winter.

There are rarities too. TNC’s Field Operations Manager Gus Nyberg says Kankakee Sands hosts a breeding population of black rails, a small chicken-like marsh bird. “We get a lot of birders trying to get their first look at a black rail,” says Nyberg. In 2002, Kankakee Sands hosted a breeding colony of Wilson’s phalaropes, a wading bird that by some accounts hadn’t been recorded breeding in Indiana for more than 40 years.

Recovering populations of reptiles and amphibians adapted for life in the sand make Kankakee Sands an inviting destination for “herpers.” In barren grounds on old dunes, look for that most athletic of local reptiles, the six-lined racerunner lizard, scampering madly through little bluestem grass. Or seek out the glass lizard, a long, legless reptile that resembles a snake but has ear holes and eyelids.

Amphibian populations have rebounded dramatically as TNC has dismantled old farm drainage systems. Dr. Bob Brodman, who teaches at nearby Saint Joseph’s College, reports that amphibians at Kankakee Sands increased from 14 populations in 1998 to 172 populations in 2003. Three previously absent species recolonized the area.

TNC is restoring more than 400 plant species to the land. They cultivate 121 species of native prairie seed at their onsite nursery and collect other species from neighboring preserves. Each year, the organization removes another square-mile unit from agricultural production and plants prairie, using large manure spreaders and agricultural lime to reseed hundreds of acres in a day.

With no trails, the entire Kankakee Sands preserve is open to visitors to respectfully wander at will. Be prepared for very flat, very open terrain. The preserve’s wetlands are best approached from near the headquarters. Although Nyberg recommends bringing a compass and binoculars, he points off to the northwest and says, “You can’t get lost. You see that treeline? That’s four miles away.” For more information, call TNC at (219) 285-2184.

Roaming

Without question, visitors who make the trip to Kankakee Sands should plan to spend equal time in the surrounding preserves, many of which feature excellent high-quality savanna and hilly terrain. Conrad Station Preserve and adjacent Conrad Savanna (809 acres together) host globally rare black oak sand savanna, with sunny groves and a rich array of wildflowers — plus the ghost town remnants of the town of Conrad. Find parking and a 1.5-mile hiking trail by heading east on CR 725N from U.S. 41. Members of the public who wish to visit Beaver Lake Nature Preserve (640 acres) must obtain permission from the LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area at (219) 992-3019.

Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area includes 9,956 acres of high sandy hills and oak barrens, wetlands, farmland, and ponds around 1,200 acre J.C. Murphey Lake. The varied and trail-free habitat attracts hawks, owls, osprey, bald eagles, and a wide variety of songbirds. “The Slough” is a popular destination for deer, turkey, and waterfowl hunters; to avoid conflicts with hunters, call the property office at (219) 285-2704 for the best times and places to hike.

On the Illinois side, west of Kankakee Sands, the Iroquois County Conservation Area (2,480 acres) preserves open marsh and dune plant communities. Within it, Hooper Branch Savanna Nature Preserve (560 acres) encompasses one of Illinois’ best black oak sand savannas, with a landscape of rolling dunes. Both areas have hiking trails, and hunting is allowed in season. For more information, call (815) 435-2218. Also, TNC can direct visitors to some of their additional worthwhile holdings in Illinois.

For canoeing or kayaking, the broad, clear waters of the Kankakee River are among the best in the Chicago Wilderness region. Experienced river outfitter Reed’s Canoe Trips, (815) 932-2663, 907 N. Indiana Avenue in Kankakee, offers several trips on the river. And there’s no better way to learn about the Kankakee than with veteran guide and river advocate Matt Mullady, (815) 932-6507.

Foraging

Kankakee Sands is in northern Newton County, Indiana, where cows outnumber humans and restaurant opportunities are limited. At the intersection of Indiana 14 and I-65, Fair Oaks Farms, one of the country’s largest dairies, operates an interactive dairy museum and a store showcasing their internationally recognized cheeses. Sample cheese, enjoy a panini sandwich, or try their own ice cream. Tours available, (877) 536-1194.

A few miles north in Lowell, Indiana, among the antique shops in its charming historic downtown, try breakfast or lunch at Nellie Jayne’s Café, (219) 696-6440, located in a 19th-century brick bank building at 313 E. Commercial Avenue. Across the street, enjoy fine dining with an Italian flair at the Stork’s Nest, (219) 696-7784. For casual dining, try authentic Mexican homecooking at Mi Ranchito, (219) 696-2270, at 1628 E. Commercial Avenue.

A few miles to the west, the beautiful Kankakee River town of Momence, Illinois, offers fine art and French country cuisine at Dionne’s Gallery Café, (815) 472-6081, 606 N. Dixie Highway.

Bedding Down

Lowell offers two B&Bs: the Inn Town B&B at the Spencer House, (219) 696-3338, 1651 E. Commercial Avenue; and, for those seeking the unusual, the monolithic concrete dome-home at Thyme for Bed, (219) 696-6307, 12567 W. 185th Avenue.

In Momence, enjoy coffee on the wicker-furnished veranda of the Swedish-style Victorian Wikstrom Manor B&B, (815) 472-3156, 304 W. 2nd Street. A mile and a quarter east of Momence off of Illinois Route 114, book a cabin on the banks of the Kankakee at Glorydale Resort, (815) 472-9894.

Seventy-five campsites are available at Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, $12 per night. Call (219) 285-2704.