70 Grand Dominion residents enjoy BMP walking tour
70 enthusiastic Grand Dominion residents join BMP Walking Tour To learn, see new rain garden developed under grant
About 70 enthusiastic Grand Dominion residents turned out for the Wetlands Commission's Best Management Practices (BMP) Walking Tour to the rain garden being developed in Basin 61, off the walking path near the pond in the central basin. Grand Dominion received a $5,500 grant for the project from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (LCSMC).
The grant supports a rain garden project initiated by the Wetlands Commission at a total estimated cost of $12,736. It aims to restore an area adjacent to a wetland complex previously dominated by cattails, with the installation of a 0.20-acre rain garden. "The proposed project has inter-jurisdictional, water quality, natural resource and multiple use benefits," the grant recommendation says.
Wetlands Commission Chair Mike Plavcan said the rain garden "will intercept and filter stormwater run-off, mitigate erosion and flooding, and provide habitat for wildlife. Our project will be located in the center of the community next to walking trails for recreational enjoyment of natural areas. We will provide housing and environment for native species by installing bird houses within the garden. We plan an educational and outreach component for residents and the local community by holding seminars and providing information regarding benefits of native planting, habitat restoration, rain gardens, phosphorus reduction, and stormwater management."
The tour was conducted on a beautiful early evening in late August, with the wetlands at the height of their beauty and the sun moving toward the end of its day. Sharon Osterby of LCSMC briefly addressed participants in the lodge before the tour and offered two informative handouts, one on wetlands, another on rain gardens. Catherine Snyder of Acres Group, Grand Dominion's landscaping contractor, brought a box containing 100 Monarch butterflies that the Wetlands Commission had purchased for release on the tour. She also added to the refreshments provided by bringing colorful butterfly cookies.
Two professionals from Grand Dominion's wetlands management contractor, Sarah Zink and Kelley Blake, of Integrated Lakes Management, Waukegan, set the stage for the tour with a brief presentation in the lodge. They pointed out that Grand Dominion is situated on the divide between two watersheds, one side flowing to the Fox River, the other to the Des Plaines River.
Zink, Blake, and Plavcan led the tour from the lodge, down the walking path through the central wetlands to Basin 61, located above the main pond, near where Province Circle intersects with Grand Dominion Circle. They stopped periodically along the route to comment on both native and invasive plant species, explaining the challenges of the Wetland Commission's plan to control invasives. Plavcan pointed out a sign near the crossing bridge that celebrates the community's designation as a certified Monarch Butterfly Waystation.
At one point, the group observed decaying reed canary grass, an invasive that ILM had recently treated. Other plants drawing attention on the walk included the statuesque Compass Plant, tall with beautiful yellow sunflower like blooms, ragweed, Queen Anne's lace (a pretty invasive with white flowers), milkweed, and blooms on the beautiful purple ironwood plant. Residents enjoyed fellowship along the way as they marveled at the beauty of our natural areas.
The tour's climactic moment came after the group arrived at the Basin 61 rain garden and observed the newly installed wood duck box, which is intended as a nesting area for wood ducks next spring. ILM also pointed out the pretty white flowers of water plantain growing in the rain garden. Over 100 milkweed plants, which attract the Monarch butterfly, have also been planted there, but they had not yet grown very large.
Wetlands Commission founding members Larry Shifley and Jeff Covert then came forward to make the official release of 100 Monarch butterflies into the rain garden. The butterflies had arrived frozen and been thawed out only a few hours earlier. Some seemed reluctant to spread their wings at first, but gradually they all did to the applause and delight of the walking tour participants.
It was a day to remember for its beauty, the easy fellowship along the walk, and the opportunity to learn and celebrate the accomplishment of enhancing our precious natural areas.
Grand Dominion's wetland natural conservation area covers 45.5 acres of the development's total 320-acre land area. Some of these wetlands were created as part of the mitigation required by the Clean Water Act. Others are natural areas that have been preserved and protected. When you add the common areas, Grand Dominion has a total of 120 acres of open space.
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