Green Landscaping: Greenacres
Greenacres Links
Landscaping Resources
- Weedlaws
- Toolkit
- Native Vegetation Enhancement
- Wild Ones Handbook
- Homeowners' Resources
- Landscaping Naturally (video)
Remember, we will not post any information intended to directly benefit for-profit enterprises
2002 Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards Descriptions
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Chicago Wilderness
Park District and Municipalities Winners
- Chicago Park District - South Shore Nature Sanctuary - Chicago, Illinois
- Crystal Lake Park District - Acres Pond Restoration - Crystal Lake, Illinois
- Elmhurst Park District - Elmhurst Great Western Prairie - Elmhurst, Illinois
- Forest Preserve District of Will County - Plum Creek Nature Center - Beecher, Illinois
- Wayne Park Commission-Village of Wayne - Prairie Garden Park - Wayne, Illinois
- Westmont Park District - Ty Warner Park - Westmont, Illinois
- Wheeling Park District - Husky Park - Wheeling, Illinois
South Shore Nature Sanctuary
Chicago Park District
Chicago, Illinois
Contact: Mary Van Haaften [(312) 742-5362, mary.vanhaaften@chicagoparkdistrict.com]
The new nature sanctuary was created on a 3.5-acre peninsula on
the shore of Lake Michigan, adjacent to an evolving dune, which
contains three species of state listed plants. The peninsula had
previously been used for dumping and was overgrown with aggressive
weeds and trees. A recycled plastic boardwalk extends over a portion
of the dune landscape, and over a small wetland. Winding pathways
guide visitors through a newly installed shortgrass prairie and
along pockets of woodland. Native Oak, Plum, Hawthorn trees, dozens
of native shrubs, and hundreds of wildflowers, and grasses were
planted for wildlife habitat.
Acres Pond Restoration
Crystal Lake Park District
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
Contact: Rita Hickman [(815) 455-1763, clpdnature@aol.com)]
The Crystal Lake Park District recreated a naturally occurring wetland and fen around an established pond that is also used for local stormwater management.
This recreation included removal of non-native aggressive plants and animals, installation of native wetland plants and animals, creation of a sediment pond at the stormwater pipe location, creation of a fishing hole and installation of a walking path, bridges, pier and interpretive signs.
Elmhurst Great Western Prairie
Elmhurst Park District
Elmhurst, Illinois
Contact: David Price [(630) 993-8909, dprice@epd.org]
The Elmhurst Great Western Prairie is a six acre prairie remnant
located between two abandoned railroad easements. (The Chicago Great
Western on the north and the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin in the
south-now known as the Illinois Prairie Path) Since 1977 this
remnant has been restored and maintained by the Elmhurst Park
District, the Prairie Management Advisory Commission and the
community through the removal of woody growth, cleanups, controlled
burns, seed collection, propagation and replanting. To increase
public awareness, support, and enjoyment of the prairie they provide
a number of on-going informational programs including: brochures,
tours, slide presentations, a public display and school programs.
Plum Creek Nature Center
Forest Preserve District of Will County
Beecher, Illinois
Contact: Robert Byerton, [(708) 946-2216, rbryerton@fpdwc.org]
The Plum Creek Nature Center landscape is designed to function as
a living exhibit, demonstrating how landscaping with native plants
conserves natural resources and contributes to a healthy
environment, as well as providing beauty and pleasure. In addition,
the landscape provides food, nest sites and shelter for a variety of
wildlife. People come to the nature center to learn about backyard
habitat enhancement. Interpretive signs help in this endeavor.
Prairie Garden Park
Wayne Park Commission-Village of Wayne
Wayne, Illinois
Contact: Peg Jensen [(630) 584-3090, villageofwayne@yahoo.com]
Once a weedy corner, 1.48 acres were planted with prairie forbes
and grasses by the Wayne Park Board and volunteers in June 2001. The
lot is located by a busy intersection in a suburb with a rural feel.
The Prairie Garden Park exemplifies how the community and local
government can work together to recreate a piece of an area’s
natural heritage. Throughout the seasons the garden is ever
changing, colorful, and beautiful.
Ty Warner Park
Westmont Park District
Westmont Illinois
Contact: Robert Fleck [(630) 969-8080, rfleck@wpd4fun.org]
Acres of forb enhanced prairie serve as a buffer to the enhanced
wetlands, carrying runoff through vegetated swales and eliminating
erosion concerns around newly constructed stormwater wetlands. Each
detention pond was lined with emergent and aquatic plantings to
improve water quality and eliminate erosion.
Husky Park
Wheeling Park District
Wheeling, Illinois
Contact: Mark Harrison [(847) 465-3331, harrison@wheelingparkdistrict.com]
Husky Park is a five acre park that was comprised mainly of a dry detention basin, asphalt pathways and two tennis courts. It was in a state of disrepair. It serves a bounded single family residential neighborhood as a mini park and it is located behind a school. The western portion of Husky Park was as a 3- ½ acre storm water detention facility and pumping station. The storm water detention basin in Husky Park had an occasional wet bottom which inhibited the proper growth of the turf and made maintenance of the turf difficult. This wet condition lent itself to the creation of a wetland environment with some simple drain tile abandonment and additional excavation at the basin's low points.
Corporate Winners
- American NTN Bearing Manufacturing Corporation - Prairie Restoration - Elgin, Illinois
- Underwriters Laboratories Inc. - Northbrook Prairie Restoration Project - Northbrook, Illinois
Prairie Restoration
American NTN Bearing Manufacturing Corporation
1500 Holmes Rd
Elgin, Illinois 60123
Contact: Heather Murphy [(847) 622-4576, hmurphy@anbmntn.com]
Over a period of 3 years, NTN restored 4 acres of company property to a native tallgrass prairie. There are a total of 42 native species planted on this site including 8 species of native grasses and flowers. Maintenance activities include weeding for non native species, attempting to burn and then mowing, and also herbiciding weeds. They will reseed next year and continue to burn.
Northbrook Prairie Restoration Project
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
Northbrook, Illinois
Contact: Volker Kotscha [(847) 664-2100, Volker.R.Kotscha@us.ul.com]
In summer 2003, the Underwriters Laboratories facility in Northbrook, Illinois converted 7 acres of our property to native plants. Two separate areas were converted a 2-acre portion along the northern banks of Lake Welborn, and a 5-acre strip of land adjacent to the North Branch Chicago River.
The area by Lake Welborn had previously been covered with noxious weeds. UL built a brick amphitheater into the side of the hill facing the lake. They removed the weeds and surrounded the new amphitheater with native plants such as purple prairie clover, black-eyed susans, nodding onions, gray-headed coneflowers, little bluestems, purple coneflowers, wild oats, Canada rye, and many other species.
The 5 acres bordering the North Branch Chicago River was previously a strip of lawn that was mowed each week. UL removed the grass and planted black-eyed susans, rough blazing stars, switch grass, butterflyweed, rattlesnake master, hoary vervain, and other native plants. They plan to introduce white oaks to this area to further increase the absorption of stormwater runoff.
Honorable Mention
The Kilgoblin Wetland
Village of Barrington
Barrington, Illinois
Contact: John Heinz [(847) 381-7903, Johnheinz@ci.barrington.il.us]
The Village of Barrington purchased this property for the purpose of providing stormwater management on this weed-strewn piece of land bounded by the Union Pacific and E J & E Railroad tracks as well as the spur that connects the two tracks. The desire was to eliminate the direct discharge to the creek and create a discharge that would allow stormwater quality to be improved by allowing sediment to be deposited at the front end of the area and allow nutrients to be absorbed by wetland and native vegetation on its travels through the wetland to the creek. This "daylighting" project eliminated a storm sewer and the water was allowed to be discharged overland before its discharge to the creek. A flow structure was put in to create an open water element of this wetland and the remainder of the 3.5-acre triangle was planted in native prairie and emergent species.
North Park Nature Area
Park District of Franklin Park
Franklin Park, Illinois
Contact: Joseph Modrich [(847) 455-2852, jmodrich@parkdistrictoffranklinpark.org]
The Nature Area of the North Park Redevelopment Project displays plants and flowers native to Illinois. The Nature Area has over thirty species of plants, from mighty oaks to prairie grasses and wildflowers, each identified by individual signs.
Waukegan River Wetland Restoration
Waukegan Park District
Waukegan, Illinois
Contact: Cameron Bettin [(847) 360-4729, cbettin@waukeganparks.org]
The Waukegan Park District successfully completed improvements to a wetland located along the Waukegan River flood plain. The wetland is surrounded by steep slopes on the east and south sides, and the Waukegan River on the west and north sides. The existing one-acre wetland consisted mostly of a monoculture of cattails and willows with a higher quality fen along the south slope of the ravine. The Park District 1.Reduced erosion next to the wetland along the banks of the Waukegan River and reduced erosion from a storm sewer that empties into the wetland. 2.Removed existing cattail vegetation and excavated a 1/3 acre pool in the center of the wetland that will help filter suspended sediments in the Waukegan River flood plain during high flows. 3.Thinned and removed non-native plants from the area, planted native species to anchor soils and increased the biodiversity. 4.Created an interpretive display for educating the community and nearby schools about nonpoint source pollution and the benefit of this wetland to the community of Waukegan.
Calumet is my BackYard
Contact: Victor Crivello [(773) 785-1594,
captainvic@direcrvinternet
This prairie project was completed by a partnership of three High Schools, the Southeast Industrial Development Commission, Kinder Morgan Terminals, and Bold Chicago.
Using native prairie seeds and plugs, student labor, and volunteer expert advice Bold Chicago created two acres of prairie and planted 400 yards of drainage ditch establishing a wetland in a heavily industrial area in Southeast Chicago.