Midewin Nat'l Tallgrass Prairie

Protecting a Prairie Preserve in Illinois

In 1996, Congress established the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie 40 miles southwest of Chicago. Much of the reserve was carved from the former Joliet Arsenal and several neighboring natural areas including the Des Plaines Conservation Area, Goose Lake Prairie State Park and Natural Preserve and Heidecke Fish and Wildlife Area. Together these lands comprise 40,000 acres of unbroken prairie habitat. ALC acquired privately owned land that, were it to be developed, would have fragmented this patchwork of protected habitat.

Once plentiful and teeming with wildlife, wide-open grassland is now scarce. Nearly half the grassland bird species that breed in the Midwest are endangered or threatened. The American bison that once roamed the plains are gone. The protection of the remaining prairie will provide critical habitat for grassland birds and offers the potential for reintroducing the bison, a major step toward restoring this complex ecosystem.

The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie offers recreation programs, trails, camping and wildlife viewing. More than a hundred miles of railroad tracks stand to be converted to hiking and biking trails connecting to a regional network of greenways.

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