Rare Cranberry Lake natural area takes on new life

For much of its modern existence, Cranberry Lake has been hidden from the public by buckthorn, honeysuckle and other invasive species.

"A lot of people didn't realize there was a lake there because of all the undergrowth," says George Duberstein, a retiree who has lived on the lake for about six years.

That the circular kettle lake, formed 16,000 year ago by melting glaciers, represents a rare example of what the landscape looked like centuries ago.

"It is extremely unique," says Ken Klick, a restoration ecologist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District.

He explained that 30 years ago, the area was included on the Illinois Natural Area Inventory as a rare example of the way things used to be. Though not pristine, the lake located west of Hainesville Road is as close as it gets to the landscape of the 1830s, he added.

"It had no protection but it did attract the attention of biologists," Klick said. "In a sense, Cranberry Lake is a bench mark."

It also became a consuming passion for Duberstein and his wife, Georgeann, who schooled themselves on how to restore the area.

The couple researched options for three months to assemble a 100-page bid package. Through citizen efforts, a contract was negotiated with Native Restoration Services of Island Lake and a five-year restoration plan designed.

More than 500 homeowners pay annually into a special service area for maintenance and other items involving the lake. The $64,000 contract is funded by a combination of that money and village funds.

Last year, the first broad attack on nonnative species was launched, providing motorists with previously unseen views but leaving the area looking somewhat barren.

Which is where the second major initiative comes into play.

"We're trying to reintroduce some native wildflowers and grasses so the area will look a lot prettier and more inviting," Duberstein said.

With Klick's help, a $14,000 order for what amounted to barrels of special seed for both the woodland and wetland areas was secured. The native seed mix includes about 50 varieties of grasses, flowers and prairie plants.

Seeds must be broadcast by hand, but a recent plan to sow during unusually warm weather was scuttled by high winds. Volunteers got another chance and completed the job on President's Day.

That means the area surrounding the lake this summer will be greener than it has been, but the full impact won't be felt immediately.

"The thing about native plants is they grow deep first," Klick said. Plantings will become more substantial in 2010 and subsequent years. The hope also is that native plants that had been crowded out by invasives will regenerate.

"The beauty of the native seeds is they'll stick around forever," he added.

Klick lauded the volunteer effort, saying state or local entities don't have the resources to protect every high quality natural area.

"It's very substantial. When neighborhood groups or villages take on something like this, it's commendable."

Duberstein said there are other areas in Hainesville that could use attention but Cranberry Lake was chosen first because it is the largest and most pristine.

"If this is reclaimed and the area around it is maintained properly it can be a real jewel for the village," he said.