Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established by Congress in 1996 with the Illinois Land Conservation Act and is managed by the USDA Forest Service. It is located near Joliet, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago. This is a special place because of the fascinating history, ambitious mission, and vast size, for this area, at 30 sq. miles (18,500 acres).
There is evidence of ...more ↓
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established by Congress in 1996 with the Illinois Land Conservation Act and is managed by the USDA Forest Service. It is located near Joliet, about 60 miles southwest of Chicago. This is a special place because of the fascinating history, ambitious mission, and vast size, for this area, at 30 sq. miles (18,500 acres).
There is evidence of Midewin’s history of land use including tribal lands, historic farmstead sites, pioneer cemeteries, and the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant that was built to produce millions of tons of TNT for wartime ammunition starting at WWII.
Currently, Midewin’s ambitious mission includes restoring tallgrass prairie, which is one of the planet’s most endangered ecosystems. Some types of land management include restoring wetland hydrology, native prairie planting, invasive control, prescribed fire, and grazing by cattle and bison.
Midewin is supported by some of the best volunteers on the planet, for the planet. The volunteer program is coordinated by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the USDA Forest Service.
The public can enjoy over 30 miles of trails and dozens of free virtual programs for all ages. Trails are open year round from 4:00am – 10:00pm.
The Welcome Center has virtual office hours from 8:00am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday and are available to help you at (815) 423-6370 or SM.FS.Midewin_RSVP@usda.gov.
For more information:
Meadowlark photo credit, Richard Hickson
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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
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created this project on June 25, 2014
