The Forest Preserve District of Will County was created by referendum on July 25, 1927, to preserve open spaces in

Will County, Illinois Will County is a county in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 696,355, an increase of 2.8% from 677,560 in 2010, making it Illinois's fourth-most populous county. The county seat ...

, US. The first land acquisition was in 1930. , the District owns or manages of land. Current Will County board members make up a board of commissioners, which oversees the affairs of the Forest Preserve District.

Forest and nature preserves

The Forest Preserve District of Will County owns or manages land in 70 forest preserves, including 10 designated as Illinois Nature Preserves for their rare natural features. Many preserves offer amenities such as picnic shelters, campsites, canoe/kayak/boat launches, fishing access, ice skating ponds, playgrounds, and sled hills. The Forest Preserve District also operates three off-leash dog parks, which require a permit for use. Nature preserves are not the only protected areas in Will County.

Channahon State Park Channahon State Park is an Illinois state park in Will County, Illinois, United States. The park was named after a Native American word meaning "the meeting of the waters". It lies adjacent to the confluence of the Dupage, Des Plaines, and Ka ...

and

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNTP) is a tallgrass prairie reserve and similarly preserved as United States National Grassland operated by the United States Forest Service. The first national tallgrass prairie ever designated in the U. ...

are examples of state and federal parks, respectively. Channahon lies along the

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Por ...

and is connected to the county and national trails in the area. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is located near Elwood, Illinois.

Trails

The Forest Preserve District of Will County owns or manages more than of trails for biking, cross-country skiing, hiking, horseback riding, in-line skating, running, and/or snowshoeing, depending on the trail surface. Many of the trails are part of regional trail systems, such as the Grand Illinois Trail and the

American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tra ...

Visitor centers

The district's visitor centers provide information regarding historical sites and natural settings along with

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...

. The visitor centers each provide unique services and have varying hours of operation. Seven visitor centers are located throughout Will County: *Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, McKinley Woods - Kerry Sheridan Grove, Channahon *

Isle a la Cache Museum The Isle a la Cache Museum is a free-standing museum operated by the Forest Preserve District of Will County on Isle a la Cache, an island in the Des Plaines River. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, the museum and island are served by Illinois Rout ...

Romeoville Romeoville is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village is located southwest of Chicago on the Des Plaines River. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,863. It is located in the southwest suburban area of Chicago near I ...

* Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Visitor Center, Plainfield *

Monee Reservoir Monee Reservoir, located at 27341 Ridgeland Avenue, Monee, Illinois, is part of the Forest Preserve District of Will County.Forest Preserve District of Will County 2011" Geography The forest preserve contains a reservoir lake. The terrain withi ...

, Monee * Plum Creek Nature Center at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve, Beecher *Sugar Creek Administration Center, Sugar Creek Preserve, Joliet

Conservation and land management

In 2010, Will County's population was 677,560, 35% higher than in 2000, making it one of the nation's fastest-growing counties. As the population increases, there is a decrease in available land for open space. To preserve the limited open space, the Forest Preserve District of Will County acquires land through property sales, donations, and leases. Once property is acquired, the Forest Preserve District implements its Land Management Program. The program involves protection, maintenance, restoration, or reconstruction of native

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

to preserve the diversity of native flora and fauna. This is accomplished through removal of

invasive plant species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

, installation of native plant species,

controlled burns A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A cont ...

, and other activities.

Events and programming

Each year, family friendly special events are hosted by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. These events range from bike rides to festivals that are attended by thousands of people. Smaller, more frequent programming offered by the Forest Preserve District provides individuals and families opportunities to learn and experience new things year-round. Learning to kayak, bird watching with a naturalist, and talking to an historical re-enactor are some of the programs that are typically offered. The Forest Preserve District also offers environmental, historical, and cultural education programs for students in the classroom and at visitor centers throughout Will County as well as programming for youth groups.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forest Preserve District Of Will County Nature reserves in Illinois Protected areas of Will County, Illinois 1927 establishments in Illinois