Oakton's Des Plaines campus a certified wildlife habitat

Oakton Community College's Des Plaines campus is now a certified wildlife habitat. Careful planning, support of natural ecosystems, restoration of prairie spaces and use of native species in landscaping has helped the school achieve the certification through the National Wildlife Federation.

Roughly 46,000 students and 700 faculty/staff call Oakton home for at least part of their academic and/or professional pursuits. But our campuses are also home to a variety of other inhabitants who may not be as readily noticed.

Sitting adjacent to Cook County Forest Preserves and Kloempken Prairie, the Des Plaines campus is especially beneficial to a variety of wildlife and an important protector of valuable ecosystems in the community. The campus provides essential elements needed by all wildlife - natural food sources, clean water, cover, and places to raise young. From native plants like asters, cardinal flowers, goldenrod, oak trees, to the fallen logs holding a variety of fungal species to Lake Oakton itself, the campus has acres of usable habitat for resident and migrating species.

The campus is home to dragonflies, monarch butterflies, squirrels, hawks, snakes, voles, frogs, deer, hummingbirds, and many other creatures.