LOCKPORT, IL – The Forest Preserve District of Will County's Lockport Prairie restoration work has been recognized by the Chicago Wilderness Alliance, the preserve said in a news release.
The award was accepted by Forest Preserve staff at a conservation ceremony Oct. 22 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago.
The Lockport Prairie The restoration work was awarded the platinum Excellence in Ecological Restoration Program award by a Chicago Wilderness Commission that judged nominated projects, the preserve said.
“The Commission was impressed by your knowledgeable staff and their work,” the award notification letter states. “Equally impressive is the support and organizational commitment of the Forest Preserve District of Will County and volunteers to restore the high-quality natural areas in your jurisdiction and realize their full potential.”
The 320-acre Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve features world-rare dolomite prairies, which form in shallow soils over dolomite bedrock, the preserve says. The site's mix of prairie and groundwater-fed wetlands is home to two federally endangered or threatened plants – prairie green clover and sea daisy – and provides important larval habitat for the endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly.
The refuge is also home to 11 state-listed plant species, the state-endangered rusty-spotted bumblebee, and two state-endangered turtles, including the largest spotted turtle population in Illinois.
Juli Mason, conservation director for the Forest Preserve, said the project was a community effort.
“This award recognizes, in large part, the significant partnership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the habitat restoration carried out in the preserve,” she said in a news release. “It is a pleasure that our collaborative work to restore the rare and unique habitats at Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve is recognized.”