Weekend Explorer

Rush Creek Conservation Area

McHenry County, IL

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by LeAnn Spencer

Rush Creek.

Photo courtesy of MCCD

McHenry County residents searching for a lunch-hour vacation or just a short respite from noise and stress should seek out Rush Creek Conservation Area near Harvard, Illinois.

Managed by the McHenry County Conservation District, the 581-acre sedge meadow and oak-hickory woodland is still recovering from decades of farming and grazing. But due to controlled hunting that limits deer populations, native plants such as wild geranium, Solomon’s seal, wild onion, Joe Pye weed, and sedges are becoming more abundant beneath the trees and in restored sedge meadows at Rush Creek.

Large, mature trees — remnants of oak groves that farmers used as woodlots — seem to talk to hikers by squeaking and groaning as they sway in the wind. Above the swaying, listen for the chatter of owls, wrens, hummingbirds, thrushes, warblers, finches, and red-eyed vireos. In the mornings, visitors may encounter wild turkeys foraging in grassy clearings. Other flying friends at the site include 13 butterfly species, among them the comma and the great spangled fritillary. Evening surveys have recorded little brown, big brown, red, hoary, and long-eared bats.

The core of the preserve was originally owned by one family, and was later divided into ten-acre woodlot parcels. In 1942, owners and other groups set aside eight acres here as one of the earliest wildlife conservation demonstration areas in Illinois. The McHenry County Conservation District purchased the lots from 1974 through 1981, with plans to restore the parcels to native habitat.

Joe Pye weed

Photo: Carol Freeman

The preserve also includes two interpretive hiking loops (.75 miles and 1.75 miles, respectively), a campground, horse trails, and a pond. The pond, which began as a spring-fed watering area and later was enlarged to its current size, is poised to become a premier fishing spot due to an extensive restoration program completed this year. The district began work on the pond in 2005, deepening and reshaping the bottom and adding underwater structures that support stocked forage fish (minnows and shiners), as well as bluegill and largemouth bass. Rush Creek will participate in Illinois Free Fishing Day on June 9, when 150 to 200 children come to fish here. Conservationist Brad Woodson says it is a chance for kids to learn water safety and fishing skills — and no license is required.

Efforts to restore streams and control erosion throughout the property have improved wetlands that feed the pond.  Ephemeral pools have also benefited. Since they dry up every season, they lack fish but provide ideal breeding habitat for many salamanders and frogs. The Blanding’s turtle also makes Rush Creek its home.

Woodson says the area should see its share of cicadas this summer. “Cicada Songs,” a program for youths seven to ten, is planned for June 21. To find out more about programs at Rush Creek, call (815) 338-6223.

— Melinda Kenney