by Brent Manning
The image is the kind that sticks in your mind long after the words are spoken. An official with The Nature Conservancy has described how penned bison reacted when they were released on a large tract of land in Oklahoma: "They ran as far as they could," he said. "They practically had tears in their eyes." Buffalo running free across thousands of acres of grassland. Elk bugling in the distance. Prairie grasses and wildflowers extending to the horizon. Upland Sandpipers, loggerhead shrikes and other birds flying overhead. A huge native ecosystem supporting the plants and animals familiar to Native Americans and European settlers hundreds of years ago. People enjoying nature through hiking, hiking, hunting and camping. All of this is destined to come together in Illinois within the next several years because of the diligent efforts of Gov. Jim Edgar, former U.S. Rep. George Sangmeister, current Congressman Jerry Weller, U.S. Sens. Paul Simon and Carol Moseley-Braun, the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Natural Resources' Fran Harty, the Illinois Association of Park Districts and an advisory committee representing local government, economic development and natural resources concerns. More than 19,000 acres of the 23,500-acre site in northeastern Illinois known as the Joliet Arsenal will become the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie—the largest tract of protected grasslands east of the Mississippi River. Some officials have equated Midewin's creation with the importance of establishing a national park on the scale of Yellowstone. With its opening, more than 40 square miles of open space, situated 40 miles south of Chicago, will be within easy reach of Illinoisans who love the outdoors. Midewin is the Potawatomi word for healing—an appropriate name for the former Army ammunition production site requiring environmental cleanup by the federal government. Much of the land currently is leased for farming and grazing, and for awhile that will continue. By this fall, the Department of Defense is expected to transfer the property to the U.S. Forest Service, which will have the job of managing the newly designated area. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will work in partnership with the Forest Services, as will numerous organizations whose volunteers will donate their time in various stewardship functions. Construction will begin on trails, rest rooms, parking lots and other amenities after funding is authorized. Turning the Joliet Arsenal to civilian use also includes the conversion of 3,000 acres of old munitions production areas to two industrial parks, the development of a 910-acre national veterans cemetery and creation of a 425-acre landfill. That all these components and the 19,000-acre prairie were carved out of the 23,500-acre arsenal is the result of a unique partnership of state and local governments, business leaders, veterans and conservationists who crafted the land use plan, combined with the bipartisan cooperation of Illinois' Congressional delegation, who tended the property conversion measure in Washington. The scope and breadth of what these participants have accomplished is staggering, especially from an ecosystem management perspective. Because Midewin is so large, there's room for accommodating a number of different habitats and sustaining a rich diversity of species, including the 16 species of state endangered and threatened plants and animals found at the site. In addition, instead of working with small natural areas, like prairie remnants, natural systems will be able to be managed on a large scale of hundreds of acres. Even many kinds of small mammals and birds need suitable habitat over a wide area to thrive. Big expanses are obviously needed for large mammals like bison. Just for grazing, a herd of 20 requires at least 1,000 acres. At Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, there will be plenty of space for buffalo to graze, roam and—there's that image again—run. Brent Manning is the director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Reprinted from the March issue of Outdoor Illinois. Federal legislation to convert the former Joliet Army Ammunition plant to a variety of civilian uses was signed on February 11, 1996.
56 * Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996
Within a few short generations, more than 99% of Illinois biologically diverse landscape was altered for agriculture and urbanization. Unfortunately, nearly all of what once seemed endless prairie has been lost The "Prairie State" was left with a few tiny isolated patches of prairie. Less than 0.001% of the original 21 million acres of prairie remains, and many species of prairie plants and animals have either disappeared or are in rapid decline.
The Arsenal is currently the home to sixteen species of wildlife that are listed as endangered or threatened in Illinois, including five species with similar Federal designations. These include grassland bird species such as the Upland Sandpiper and the Loggerhead Shrike. This site also contains presettlement oak savannas, three relatively high quality streams, and wetlands areas. The Arsenal is the largest unfragmented parcel of land with a single owner in northeastern Illinois.
Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996 * 57
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