Bartel Grassland

Geologically located on the former bed of a much larger glacial Lake Michigan, Bartel Grassland is a marvelously flat landscape where the difference between a wet area and a drier area may be only six inches. Yet there are such distinctions within the site, forming a subtle topography.

(Download the full project description here:  Wetland Restoration Projects: Bartel Grassland (25.61 kB).) 

Location: Flossmoor Road & Central Avenue, Matteson, IL

Funding source: Material Service Corporation Settlement Fund

Owner & land manager: Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC)

Size of project site: 375 acres

Project date: 2001

Partners: Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC), Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Conservation 2000 Program), Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, National Audubon Society - Chicago Region, Openlands (formerly CorLands), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Action: Restoration management plan, drainage tile inventory, hydric soil mapping, hydrologic restoration, hedgerow removal, treatment of woody resprouts, planting of native seeds and plugs, prescribed burning, herbaceous invasive species control, bird and plant monitoring, native insect inventory, and volunteer recruitment, training and mentoring.