You can explore prairie in unaltered state along rail line
Imagine a prairie that looks the same as it did when the European settlers first arrived in our region with the exception of the railroad tracks running down the middle of it.
You can find such a prairie stretching for miles 15 miles, to be exact -- along the Union Pacific/Illinois Railway Museum railroad line, in McHenry County.
The H.U.M. is an unplowed original prairie and so named because it traverses through Huntley, Union and Marengo.
Many of our original prairies exist along railroad tracks, because they have been protected from development and agriculture, and because they experienced periodic burns in former decades when train sparks were a common occurrence.
Fire was an integral part of our region's ecology before settlers began suppressing it.
The plants and animals of the natural areas evolved with fire as part of their environment, and, indeed, many of these species depend on fire for their survival.
Fire keeps invasive brush under control, and it stimulates the germination and growth of many native plants; and thus is necessary for those animals and other organisms that depend on those plants.
Because of the H.U.M. Prairie's linear shape, it is composed of a number of McHenry County's different original prairie types -- including wet, average and dry soil prairies as well as sand prairie.
Its plant and animal diversity reflect this landscape diversity. There are a great many different kinds of plants and animals to be found along this 15-mile stretch of prairie.
Original prairies such as the H.U.M. are like genetic vaults within the Chicago Wilderness system of nature preserves -- an important seed source and a source of untold elements necessary for ecosystem function, including features as yet undiscovered by restoration ecologists and stewards such as, perhaps, some pollinators, soil organisms, or interdependencies among different species.
These original prairies are critical to our region-wide effort to return healthy, functioning ecosystems to all of our protected natural areas.
And they are inspiring, historic places unto themselves.
The H.U.M. Prairie is one of our region's only original railroad prairies owned by a conservation organization, in this case, the McHenry County Conservation District.
Thus, we have the opportunity to protect this prairie from the threat of invasive species and to return natural processes to the ecosystem.
But the MCCD needs the help of committed citizens to do so.
It especially needs a few people who would like to take on the responsibility of leading stewardship work at the site. If you would like to help in the historic work of protecting the H.U.M., contact Ed Collins at (815) 653-2297, Ext. 14 or at Ecollins@mccdistrict.org, or Karen Glennemeier at (847) 724-5226 or at kglennemeier@audubon.org.
Come out to a work day at the H.U.M. from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 22.
The group will be collecting seeds from native prairie plants for use on other restoration sites, remove some invasive weeds, and take a walk and learn some of the history of this remnant.
RSVPs are optional but appreciated, to Ed or Karen; see contact information above.
Directions to the workday site: take the northwest Tollway (I-90) to the Route 47 exit. Head north to Main St., also called Marengo Road, and turn left, heading west. Proceed to the stop sign at Hemmer and Marengo roads. Turn right and drive 1.1 miles to Diekman Road. Turn right and proceed to the fence.
Call (847) 212-4615 if you need help.