Into the Wild

Sun Lake Forest Preserve

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Lake County, IL

STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF A TRAIL overlooking the rolling wetland-dotted grassland at the 580-acre Sun Lake Forest Preserve near Lake Villa, Illinois, Ken Klick imagines what the view will hold in half a century.

First settled by Irish farmers in the mid-1800s, the area was purchased by the Chicago Congregational Union in 1953. They built and developed Pleasant Valley Farm, which became a camp for inner-city children to experience the outdoors. Over the years, it became known as Pleasant Valley Outdoor Center. Funding problems closed the camp in the 1990s, and the Conservation District began to purchase parcels in 1994.

Klick, the Lake County Forest Preserves ecologist leading the Sun Lake restoration project, sees in his mind’s eye a lush landscape of woodlands and wildlife, blooming prairie plants, and waving native grasses. The Lake County Forest Preserves officially opened Sun Lake to the public in October. Visitors now can hike, bike, and cross-country ski past grand panoramas framed by large, old oaks. But for some, the site’s ecological restoration — still in its early stages — may ultimately offer the most excitement.

Today, much of the preserve retains an agricultural feel. Ecological restoration began in 2003 when the forest preserve team began to remove drain tiles to restore the natural water levels in more than 200 acres of historic wetlands. Stands of majestic old oak trees survive in several groves, which the district has augmented by planting hundreds of young oaks and shagbark hickory trees throughout the preserve. When fully grown, some of these saplings will create a screen, increasing the feeling of sanctuary here.

Last year, the district planted more than 30 species of native prairie plants. Wisps of sand-colored Canada wild rye sprout from the fields. Wild bergamot hugs the ground and shocks of hyssop appear on the horizon. Klick says the landscape will gain texture as more native plants establish themselves, with real change visible by next autumn. By then, he says, plants such as little bluestem, prairie dock, blazing star, compass plant, and rosinweed will have begun to establish themselves over more than 100 acres.

The plants, in turn, will provide habitat for many birds, including redheaded woodpeckers, kingbirds, and eastern pewees. The preserve is already home to two sandhill cranes that can often be seen swooping for mice and grasshoppers along the trail. Note several artificial nest boxes, too, installed throughout the preserve in hopes of attracting eastern bluebirds as permanent residents.

At the preserve’s core is Sun Lake itself, a 25-acre glacial lake undergoing a rejuvenation of its own. The lake is home to rare aquatic plants and fish. Though invasive cattails and reed canary grass now choke much of the rim of Sun Lake, Klick expects a controlled burn in winter to encourage the return of many native plants from the damp lakeside soil. This spring, the district plans to plant more than 100,000 wetland plugs, including sweetflag, iris, Joe Pye weed, marsh marigold, and bulrush.

Those who visit Sun Lake often will benefit most from watching the changes take place on the land. But it’s more than just a spectator sport: the district invites the public to help out at Sun Lake restoration workdays. To join in, click here or call (847) 968-3329.

— Lori Rotenberk