News

Prospect Heights creating nature preserve with help from volunteers

Posted August 24, 2017 1:00 am

By Chacour Koop

Previously an overgrown thicket scattered with trash, the Prospect Heights Parks District is transforming land into a nature preserve.

The park district and volunteers, including an Eagle Scout, have been working on the two-acre area north of the Gary Morava Recreation Center. About 5,000 plants spanning 100 native species were planted after workers removed invasive species and garbage, said Agnes Wojnarski, chairwoman of the Prospect Heights Natural Resources Commission.

The nature preserve now has a walking trail and steppingstones to cross a creek. Sam Sobczak, a 15-year-old sophomore at Hersey High School, took leadership in adding the large stones as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Informational signs along the trail will be added this year, making the area an education tool for the neighboring public library, park district and Eisenhower Elementary School, Wojnarski said.

The project is funded by a $10,000 grant from the ComEd Green Region Program and matching funds from the city and park district.

A new nature preserve in Prospect Heights will include educational signs along a walking path for residents to learn about native species of plants. Courtesy of Agnes Wojnarski

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