Phantom Forest Conservation Area

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[Music] (Female Announcer) Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville is one of DuPage County's premier forest preserves. As the county's third largest forest preserve, Springbrook Prairie provides expanses of continuous prairie and habitat for resident, endangered and threatened wildlife. As part of our mission to preserve and protect, much of the great diversity at the prairie can be attributed to natural-resources management. Let's begin our story about conservation. Much of the land that makes up the prairie was formerly harvested by area farmers. When the District acquired the first parcel acreage nearly 30 years ago, commissioners and staff were tasked with developing a master plan for the preserve. In the interim, the District planted quick-growing Eurasian grasses and fescues-- to secure the soil. Shortly after something remarkable happened. When these grasses grew, grassland birds came to nest and flourish at the preserve. Birds like the meadowlark, Bobolink and Savannah sparrow. Birds like the state-endangered northern harrier, short-eared owl and Henslow's sparrow came to thrive at the prairie, too. Over time, Springbrook Prairie became one of three areas in northern Illinois to house a significant grassland bird community. With the birds' presence at the preserve, the District came to look at ways to continue to restore the native-prairie landscape. One area has since been reseeded with short, native grasses. Another with taller varieties. As a large parcel, Springbrook Prairie's habitats are managed using tools like prescribed burns. Prescription fire is one tool that has increased the abundance of plant species at the prairie. In other efforts, clay drainage tiles have been removed from soils to improve flood-water control properties. Enhanced wetlands provide safe havens for the state-endangered yellow-headed blackbird. Although threatened and endangered species are in critical need, many others are worthy of attention. In Illinois, 636 species in greatest need of conservation have been identified. These species are in decline or suffer from low populations in the state. Some live at the prairie and serve as indicators of environmental quality. Restoration has prompted many species to take up residence at the prairie. More than 90 species of birds, 18 different mammals and one dozen species of reptiles and amphibians call Springbrook Prairie home. Migrants visit at various times of the year. Some overwinter at the prairie to pass the harshest of the seasons. Others live at the prairie year-round, finding conditions for food, water and shelter just right. Recently, the Forest Preserve District has targeted the Preserve Springbrook. a tributary of the DuPage River. A 1.2 mile stream-restoration project will create a meandering stream channel that connects to a historic flood plain. Years ago, farmers straightened the brook to eliminate flooding during heavy rains. This linear, deep channel contained the brook. But, it caused the water to churn away at its sides. Water downstream was contaminated with sediment, suffocating many fish, mollusks and macroinvertebrates. Much of the soils have been moved to change the course and level of the brook. Many European black alder trees-- an introduced, invasive species--have been removed. Their removal, and those of other trees, will join two large, open grasslands and create one open habitat ideal for rare grassland birds. Many of the woods' structures will be used to reduce erosion in the brook and slow the flow in the stream. When complete, this project will improve the biological quality of the brook and its ability to spill over and into the surrounding flood plain. Another activity at the site has included collecting and relocating several mussel species to safer waters. The District's Natural Resources staff, dressed in waders and crawling up the stream, slowly explored the streambed to search for these freshwater mussels. More than 1,500 freshwater mussels have already been collected from Springbrook. ---And so, the story of conservation at Springbrook Prairie continues. Its many chapters of intense restoration efforts embrace diversity and support ecological health.