August Featured Sites

Since the early 1990s, Cedar Glen has been managed using prescribed fire and invasive species control, including the use of bulldozers and forestry mowers to control non-native and invasive woody vegetation. The frequency and intensity of management increased starting in 2013. Prescribed fires now occur annually to biannually in portions of the uplands. Additional forestry mowing has been implemented within the past 2 years to restore savanna and woodland conditions. These methods of transformative management appear thus far to have a positive impact on flora and fauna diversity and in the control of invasive plants. Efforts are ongoing to remove timbered barriers between the subpopulations of Virginia bunchflower to allow more access by pollinating insects.

Click the arrow to the right to view prescribed fires and forestry mowing, as well as the individuals who complete the management at Cedar Glen Nature Preserve!

Primary access to the preserve is via the WIU Kibbe Field station. While the preserve is open to the public, the field station has a site manager to keeps track of its use. There are 3 hunter parking lots for Cedar Glen Land and Water Reserve, each accessed from the southern portion of the area.

The main cold weather roost site lies within the central portion of Cedar Glen and entry into the glen is discouraged from November through March. Eagle viewing is best from the Keokuk side or from the Montebello Landing near the dam in Hamilton. The best times to visit the deep gorge known as Cedar Glen is in spring (April) when the waterfalls are flowing in the creek with delicate wildflower displays along the banks or fall (late October) when the trees reach their peak coloration. Hiking maps are available at the field station. Mud Island is accessible only by boat and Eagle Island is accessible by foot only during low water conditions. Visitation to the bottomlands is unpleasant in the summer due to an abundance of nettle. Winter visitation is also discouraged to reduce disturbance to bald eagles which use the trees during the day for feeding and resting.

Contributor: Angella Moorehouse

Editor: Heather McLean

Casper Bluff, owned by the  Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation (JDCF) , was the 148 ^th  Land and Water Reserve registered in the  Nature Preserve System  to protect significant natural and cultural resources. Situated on the bluffs above of the Mississippi River, the 89.5-acre site hosts multiple habitat types along with evidence of Native American heritage.

Casper Bluff is especially significant because it marks a “first” for the Illinois Nature Preserves system: Casper Bluff was the first Land and Water Reserve to be registered exclusively due to the presence of archaeological/cultural heritage resources. At the time of the original registration, the site’s dominant use was hayfield and cattle pasture with very few natural features remaining. Today, almost the entire site has been converted to high-quality communities through ecological restoration and community re-creation.

Located directly above the Mississippi River, the central ridge at Casper Bluff forms a boundary between two watersheds. Water on the site’s west side flows directly into the Mississippi River, while water on the east side of the ridge flows down the slope and then south along the drainage, then turns west to the Mississippi River through a gap in the bluffs. The site contains remnant loess hill prairies, dry-mesic savanna restorations, dry mesic woodland, dry-mesic prairie re-creations, high gradient small stream, and mesic upland forests, which contain native vegetation representative of the Wisconsin Driftless Natural Division.

Casper Bluff protects significant wildlife habitat identified by the  Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)  in its  Illinois State Wildlife Action Plan (IWAP) , particularly woodland and prairie habitats of the Wisconsin Driftless Natural Division. These habitat types support species identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) for this Natural Division. The SGCN species that have been documented within Casper Bluff include blue-winged warbler, dickcissel, field sparrow, northern flicker, grasshopper sparrow, red-headed woodpecker, and bobolink. Various plants documented at Casper Bluff across multiple habitat communities include Seneca snakeroot, Canadian milkvetch, yellow star grass, maidenhair fern, Solomon’s seal, yellow lady-slipper orchid, three bird orchid, violet bush clover, and upland boneset. Recently, the federally endangered rusty-patched bumblebee has been documented inhabiting the site.

The photos below display some wildlife species which inhabit Casper Bluff LWR!

Casper Bluff Land and Water Reserve is one of the JDCF's most popular public destinations. The site is especially important to their Tribal Partners who visit from throughout the Midwest to pay their respects and honor their forebearers who once inhabited this beautiful and sacred place. It is JDCF’s intent to continue making Casper Bluff a destination-point for the public, and especially for Native Americans, to come and appreciate all that nature has to offer along the bluffs of the Mississippi River.

How to Access the Site

Casper Bluff is currently open to the public for recreational use from dawn to dusk daily with access to grass trails that extend throughout the site. A small picnic pavilion is located along the bluff top overlooking the Mississippi River. A gravel trail originates near this pavilion and travels westerly down the side of the bluff and connects to the adjacent Galena River Trail, owned and managed by the City of Galena. A parking area is located along the eastern boundary of the original reserve with a kiosk, maps, and signage. Interpretive signs are located throughout the reserve.

Contributors: Tom Clay and Deb Kelly (Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation)

Editor: Heather McLean

The portion of the state containing Langham Island was sculpted by advancing and retreating glaciers, and shaped by the Kankakee Torrent-- a glacial meltwater deluge that occurred about 18,000 years ago. Its erosive forces carved the Kankakee River and its tributaries down to solid bedrock in some areas. Dolomite exposures are found throughout the Kankakee River State Park, and it strongly influences soils and plant communities there, including Langham Island.

The island was inventoried in 1872 by renowned botanist E.J. Hill, who was the first to document the presence of the Kankakee Mallow, among hundreds of other native plant species. The island was farmed in the early 1900's up until as late as 1940, when it was acquired by IDNR, then left fallow. In 1966 it was the third state-owned site to be dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve. With limited staff and dwindling resources, the island had not been managed properly for decades, and was dominated by trees and invasive brush.

During a 2014 visit to Langham Island by the  Illinois Native Plant Society,  the island was barely accessible due to the amount of woody growth. Not a single Kankakee Mallow could be found, let alone any herbaceous plant in the dense shade. This inspired a call to action, and  Friends of Langham Island  was formed. Volunteers have cleared invasive trees and brush in the upland areas, and the Kankakee Mallow once again is found blooming every year.

Lack of fire and control of woody species is the single largest threat to the site. Woody succession from a lack of fire (or too low of fire frequency) for too long a period will eliminate the Kankakee Mallow and other herbaceous species that require sunlight to thrive. Over-browsing by deer, and proliferation of exotic species are other threats.

Annual prescribed fire is a top priority for this site, to keep woody species in check. The "rolling bonfire" is a common technique to dispose of the cut trees and shrubs on work days. Volunteer stewards create multiple small brush fires and use a long branch or rake to move the burning piles around. Seeds of the Kankakee Mallow respond favorably when scarified with cool fires. The rolling fires do not get so hot that they sterilize the soil, and by moving the fire as it burns, they cover more potential habitat on the ground. The result of these fires is often germinated mallows along the outer edges of the fire scars.

Other management activities include installing fencing to protect Kankakee Mallows from browsing deer; controlling invasive species sweet clover and garlic mustard; and collecting and sowing prairie seed.

Future plans for Langham Island include expansion of clearing into new areas of the island; continued fires, seeding, and control of non-native species; and the re-introduction of the state endangered buffalo clover and leafy prairie clover, both of which have not been documented on the island in several years.

Contributors: Kim Roman and Steve Bohan

Editor: Heather McLean

Jordan Creek of the North Fork Nature Preserve was established to protect and conserve the biologically significant stretch of the Jordan Creek and the state-endangered mussels that live in the river. It is an essentially undisturbed stream segment in a heavily disturbed region with occurrences of three state-endangered, one state-threatened, and one federally endangered freshwater mussel species. Undisturbed freshwater natural communities such as this are extraordinarily uncommon in Illinois.

During the Pleistocene glacial epoch, Vermilion County was covered by the Kansan, Illinoian, and Wisconsin glaciers. About one million years ago, this area was drained to the north and west by the Teays River, a predecessor of the Ohio River. When Illinois was covered by glaciers, evidence of the Teays was erased. Terminal moraines, created by advances and retreats of the glaciers, caused the development of a new drainage pattern south and east of the Wabash River. The Wisconsin glacier, the most recent stage of glaciation, deposited an enormous amount of glacial drift, averaging 200 feet deep. After drift was deposited at what is now the Jordan Creek Wildlife Preserve, water and wind eroded the land surface, resulting in the present topography.

Mr. Louis Schlect farmed the land that is now Jordan Creek Wildlife Preserve for many years until 1989 when he donated his land to the  Vermilion County Conservation District Foundation  (formerly the Outdoor Heritage Foundation). Mr. Schlect had a deep regard for wildlife and wanted to establish an enduring sanctuary. Cows were removed to allow pastures to undergo natural succession. Nesting structures, such as bluebird boxes and wood duck nests, were installed. A reforestation took place in the north part of the preserve on a former pasture adjacent to existing forest. Since 1989, Vermilion County Conservation District Foundation has maintained the Jordan Creek Wildlife Preserve as the wildlife sanctuary Mr. Schlect envisioned.

The Jordan Creek of the North Fork Nature Preserve lies on a gently sloping plain that was dissected by the Jordan Creek. The lowest elevation, about 650 feet, lies along the Jordan Creek. From the creek, the land generally slopes upward to the northwest reaching a maximum elevation of about 690 feet on a hilltop in the northeast part of the preserve. Slopes which are steep tend to be wooded. The soil types found here form a complex pattern, with 11 different soil series present.

On the east side of the site is a low lying, winding swale marsh that feeds into the Jordan Creek. A variety of wetland plants occur here including blue flag, water plantain, and yellow pond lily. The Wet-mesic floodplain forest occurs in the floodplain of the Jordan Creek. Thorny trees and shrubs are widespread throughout. The lower and middle slopes are made up of mesic upland forest containing typical trees like red oak and basswood as well as ground cover of mostly weedy plants. Dry-mesic upland forest occupies the gently sloping ridgetops dominated by white oak, black oak, and shagbark hickory. A seep occurs in a low depression in the floodplain forest. Wetland plants such as skunk cabbage, marsh marigold, and tall water parsnip inhabit the seep.

Management of Jordan Creek of the North Fork Nature Preserve is carried out by the  Vermilion County Conservation District  and The Outdoor Heritage Foundation. Dangers to the creek ecosystem include, but are not limited to, siltation, turbidity, and pollution. There is a potential to create unsuitable conditions for freshwater mussels if the dangers are not managed correctly and efficiently. Threats to the grassland and forested areas around the creek include invasive species encroachment and deer overgrazing. Removing invasive species and prescribed fire regimes will limit invasive encroachment and promote native vegetation. Implementation of a deer management program reduces the likelihood of deer overabundance and over browsing of vegetation by white-tailed deer. The site will be continually managed as natural, native habitat to protect the rare species that inhabit the Jordan Creek and allow its survival for future generations to enjoy.

Note: Site Access is Not Permitted to the General Public.

Contributor: John Griesbaum

Editor: Heather McLean

Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve is located in Mason County in the Illinois River Section of the Illinois River and Mississippi River Sand Areas Natural Division, about 35 miles northwest of Springfield. This 1,550-acre preserve, also referred to as Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak State Natural Area, is owned by the  Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) . The Nature Preserve protects high-quality sand prairie, savanna, and forest, in addition to providing habitat for a variety of rare species of plants and animals, including nine species listed by the  Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board .

Dry Sand Prairies

Dry Sand Prairies are rather rare because the proper topographic position for dry sand usually reduces fire severity enough to allow a Savanna to develop. The remnant sand prairies at Sand-Prairie Scrub Oak are dominated by little bluestem and sand love grass with dune associations containing bare areas of sand with three-awn grass. 

Dry Sand Savanna

The site contains Grade B old second growth and Grade C young and mature second growth Dry Sand Savanna, which make up approximately 18% of all the high-quality Grade B Dry Sand Savanna remaining within the Illinois River Section of the Illinois River and Mississippi River Sand Areas Natural Division. The crests of the highest dunes, along with south and westerly facing slopes, support this community.

Forest

The forest communities are improving with the employment of prescribed burning, which in conjunction with high wind episodes, has opened up the canopy and allowed herbaceous understory to respond. Large numbers of white-tailed deer sometimes gather in these openings during the winter, pounding the dormant vegetation into fine duff with their movements, which probably helps to maintain the openings as prairie. The forest areas at Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak are dominated by black oak and blackjack oak, as well as black hickory. Pennsylvania sedge dominates the herbaceous layer.

Management at Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve consists of several activities, the most important being the implementation a long term consistent prescribed fire program. Consistent long term prescribed fire reduces the subcanopy, which is typically limited in sand savannas.  Prescribed fire also promotes the herbaceous ground layer vegetation associated with dry savanna communities. Where prescribed fire is not intense enough, the subcanopy is selectively thinned mechanically. Secondly, management is also focusing on controlling numerous acres of black locust and tree of heaven, two very aggressive exotic species that are trying to establish in sand prairies. Finally, in some of the more degraded sand prairies, selective wildflowers are added to increase nectar sources for the state-threatened regal fritillary butterfly.

Contributor: Heather McLean, Eric Smith, and Angella Moorehouse

Editor: Heather McLean