Small forest preserve addition to protect rare landscape near Lindenhurst

A small targeted addition to the 622-acre Fourth Lake Forest Preserve near Lindenhurst will offer protection for a rare native landscape, officials say.

Lake County Forest Preserve commissioners on Tuesday agreed to spend $5,500 to acquire the one-acre Vole property south of Grand Avenue to expand Fourth Lake. The vacant parcel borders a residential area at Sistina Road and Riviera Drive, west of Grenada Boulevard.

It also is near what is known as the Calcareous Floating Mat, considered one of the rarest types of native plant communities in the Midwest, according forest preserve officials. The mat itself is to the south, but preserving wetlands and protecting existing holdings are among the district's land acquisition goals.

"We're looking at the opportunity to provide some extra protection for Fourth Lake," said Jim Anderson, director of natural resources for the forest preserve district.

"It's a type of wetland," Anderson said of the floating mat. "It's almost like a bog except bogs are acidic." The mat itself is spongy and is "almost like the beginning of peat moss," he added.

Acquiring the property also will allow for protection of another kind as the district proceeds with controlled burns.

"There's a lot of fuel building up there," Anderson said. "As we can pick up these little lots, it makes it easier for us to protect residents."

A statewide inventory completed in 1978 found 175 acres of this type of native plant communities in Illinois. Two state-threatened plants and several locally rare species are in the area, according to the district.

Fourth Lake is listed on the Natural Areas Inventory, which identifies high-quality natural areas statewide.

According to the district, the area originally was slated as outlots for the Venetian Village subdivision but was considered unsuitable for building. Some of the property was donated and the district began acquiring the rest in 1983.

The purchase will be funded from the proceeds of a voter-approved measure in 2008 to raise $185 million to buy land and improve facilities.

After this purchase, the district will have slightly less than $4 million remaining for land acquisition and slightly more than $12 million for development, according to Steve Neaman, finance director.