Reviving an oasis
Amid the horse trails and natural terrain of Barrington Hills, more than 60 species of nesting birds, a rainbow assortment of butterflies, and minks and beavers frolic. State-listed endangered species ranging from sandhill cranes to threatened mussels live to see another day.
Volunteers and ecologists involved in the restoration of where the species call home -- the Spring Lake Nature Preserve -- occasionally take stock of the fruit of their labors.
"It's very gratifying to see the results of our hard work," said volunteer John Yapelli of Palatine, who has worked at the preserve for over two years. "You get a before and after feel. Even though you're tired and dirty after working, you and your friends look at how you've opened a space, increasing habitat for the area, and you get a warm glow. It never gets old."
The particular area Yapelli is talking about is a sedge meadow and prairie remnant portion of Spring Lake Nature Preserve, a 560-acre parcel of the bigger, 3,910-acre Spring Creek Forest Preserves located in the far northwest corner of Cook County, tucked between Lake-Cook and Algonquin roads.
The nature preserve is somewhat indistinguishable from the rest of the forest preserves and is less developed for human visitors, with not a lot of actual walking paths. It's bordered by Lake-Cook, Bateman and Old Donlea roads.
The area was purchased by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County in 1956 and dedicated as a nature preserve by the state in 1965, said Debbie Antlitz, an ecologist for the district.
It is now one of about 20 such dedicated nature preserves in Cook County.
"Nature preserves are recognized by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission as some of the few areas left in Illinois where a rich diversity of native plants and animals still flourish," Antlitz said.
But for Spring Lake, that diversity did not always exist. The area, former farmland, was overrun with brush, non-native plants and grass that forced out natural species.
In a battle of good verses evil, the rare and wonderful Indian plantain, swamp thistle, marsh betony and great angelica have struggled to co-exist with the invasive buckthorn, reed canary grass and purple loosestrife.
"At first, we used handsaws to clear the problem, but that was slow and labor intensive," Yapelli said. "Now we get chain saws going and we can work eight times as fast."
A lover of forests since playing there as a child, Yapelli, 38, at first was reluctant to cut down the overgrowth, thinking it was beautiful. However, once he understood the damage caused by the invasive plants, he became environmentally involved.
"Happily, from 1980 onward, good management practices have begun to turn the trend around," Antlitz said. With help from various agencies including the local Citizens for Conservation, "the Forest Preserve District has conducted prescription burns on the site. Volunteer site stewards have also done much hands-on day-to-day work pulling weeds and clearing brush."
The preserve's gatekeepers are now reaping what they sowed, as serious headway has been made in restoration efforts.
"We've had some great victories and have seen positive and encouraging results," said Antlitz.
There is still a great deal of work ahead, in not only maintaining their ground, but also conquering new areas in need. In particular, Antlitz sites a vein of reed canary grass at a creek, and three prairie pockets that are not connecting correctly. However, she is confident of a remedy.
"Spring Lake Nature Preserve," said Antlitz, "is one of those lucky places where history has been kind, current headway is being made, and the future looks to continue to brighten."
Volunteer information can be found at the Web site at www.springcreekstewards.org.