Openlands Lakeshore Preserve: Winter 2012 Updates

Winter has at last come to the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, and the ravines and bluffs are slumbering underneath a blanket of snow. This time of year, the moods of the lake change moment to moment – sometimes fierce, with crashing waves and glacier-like ice covering the beach, and at other times calm and glassy. Some resident birds, such as the northern cardinal, remain all winter and if you observe carefully, you may see this lovely red bird flitting from tree to tree in Bartlett Ravine. It is also a great time to search for animal tracks in the snow – you might see where a white-tailed deer or coyote made its way across a trail just moments before you arrived.

As a reminder, the Hamill Family Trail along the bluff-top is closed when snow covered. However, the trail in Bartlett Ravine and along the beach is always open. When planning your winter outings to the Preserve, please remember to dress warmly, bring drinking water, and keep in mind that there are no restrooms at the site.

Much of the development of the Preserve has been completed, but there is more to come. As we head into spring and summer, look for prairie and tree plantings, rain gardens, and the completion of the trail connection between the northern and southern parts of the Preserve.

And these bluff-lined beaches and cozy ravines took an important step toward permanent protection in January when the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission granted preliminary approval of the 77-acre site as an Illinois Nature Preserve. This status is conferred on the rarest of our native landscapes affirming that this remnant habitat is an Illinois treasure. Final approval should come by mid-year.

"This is an amazing place" notes Aimee Collins, the Preserve's site manager, "a wilderness amid our cities and towns available for everyone to enjoy – forever."

Above photo courtesy of Mark Baldwin, natureofthingsphotography.com