Lake County forest preserve creating ‘wildlife corridor’ with $1.5 million purchase

As roads, farms, and development often leave natural habitats in small, isolated patches, the Lake County Forest Preserve District is aiming to create corridors allowing animals to reach food, shelter, and mates, while plants spread unimpeded.

To that end, the district is considering a pending acquisition of 37 acres that will connect the east and west sides of the Raven Glen Forest Preserve near Antioch.

The forest board’s planning committee this week recommended the purchase of what is known as the Vander Meer property along Deep Lake Road about a half mile south of Route 173 for $1.52 million.

Acquiring the Antioch Township property will expand forest preserve opportunities in an ecologically important portion of the county, according to the district.

“This is a really important acquisition,” said Pati Vitt, the forest preserve district’s director of natural resources. “It does allow, once it’s restored, to be a wildlife corridor to the other side of Raven Glen.”

On the surface the addition may not seem exciting, she added, but in the big picture it’s substantive, as the district strives to consolidate and connect its holdings.

“We try to be very strategic in creating those connections,” Vitt said.

Isolated patches of natural habitat can only support a limited number of species that tend to shrink in size and die out, she said. Larger connected blocks let animals reach food, shelter, and mates, keeping populations healthy and letting species recolonize areas after fire, drought, or disease, Vitt said.

The Vander Meer property includes a home and related outbuildings that will be demolished if they can’t be used for district purposes.

The southern part of the 604-acre Raven Glen was once the site of a state-of-the-art dairy operation consisting mostly of rolling farmland. The northern portion, a former campground, includes Timber Lake, two smaller connected ponds, wetlands and an oak-hickory grove.

A pedestrian tunnel under Route 45 connects Raven Glen to the 501-acre Ethel’s Woods Forest Preserve. The two large preserves together create a greenway corridor for better land management, wildlife protection and expanded outdoor recreation opportunities, according to the district.

In a separate project, a major restoration about to begin at Raven Glen will reshape 421 acres. The project will be focused east of Savage Road and west of Route 45, and restore wetlands, prairies and woodlands and help the landscape hold more stormwater.

The Vander Meer purchase and a recommended 1.25-acre addition to Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda are the latest in a continuing series of acquisitions with proceeds from $155 million in bonds approved by voters two years ago.

The full forest board will vote on the acquisition at its regular meeting Wednesday.

mzawislak@dailyherald.com