College of DuPage offers free prairie tour

Hikers can learn about wildlife and natural processes and to identify some of the more than 100 species of native Illinois plants in the College of DuPage's Russell Kirt Prairie on the season's last guided walk of the 18-acre prairie preserve.

The final summer tour of the prairie will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, on the Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd. The tour is free. For directions or information, email biology professor Lynda Randa at randal@cod.edu.

First planted in 1985, Kirt Prairie was reconstructed on clay and gravel excavated for the construction of the Student Resource Center and covered with a thin layer of imported topsoil, which enabled seed spreading and planting.

The area comprises approximately six acres of marsh, a one-acre retention pond, 11 acres of reconstructed prairie and savanna, and a quarter-mile of seed production beds.

More than a half-mile of trails, including a one-sixth-mile wheelchair accessible stretch, allow easy access for nonconsumptive recreational use.

The college's prairie areas serve as an outdoor classroom in the biological sciences, enabling students an opportunity to gain real-world experience in field-based research.

The Glen Ellyn campus is also home to the B.J. Hoddinott Wildlife Sanctuary, the oldest restoration area, which includes a nine-acre marsh and wetland area dedicated in 1983, as well as a 15-acre Ecological Study Area comprising three acres of marsh, four acres of successional woodland and eight acres of reconstructed prairie.

The Ecological Study Area also includes more than a half-mile of trails available for nonconsumptive recreational use.

The college's prairies feature nearly 300 species of native tallgrass plants, more than 80 of which were reintroduced over the years. In addition, the area also hosts a variety of wildlife including many species of insects, toads, frogs, turtles, small mammals, coyotes and birds such as warblers, wading birds, owls and hawks.

If you go

What: Prairie Tour

When: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24

Where: Russell Kirt Prairie at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn

Cost: Free

Info: randal@cod.edu