[BCNnet] Orland Grasslands Restoration Open House and Tours

[Judy Pollock]

You are invited to a public meeting to view the restoration plans for Orland
Grassland.  This large restoration project is guided by the desire to create a
habitat that is sustainable over the long term for grasslnd birds and other
prairie species.  The plan includes input from bird monitors Wes Serafin and
Wanetta Elliott, as well as from Jim Herkert, Doug Stotz and Steve Bailey.  

Public support from the birding community for this project is very
important at
this point.  Please consider attending this open house. You can stop by any
time between 10 and 2 to give your comments.  Tours of this lovely site
will be
given at 11 and 1.  Also, if you have friends in the area that would like
to be
involved in the volunteer restoration and education efforts, please let them
know about this meeting - or better yet, bring them by and introduce them to
us!

Thanks!

Judy Pollock

A public open house will be held on Saturday, May 4th, to enable citizens to
review a plan to restore and manage a 960-acre parcel of land owned by the
Forest Preserve District of Cook County known as the Orland Tract. The main
focus of the plan is to transform the former farm field to native grassland
and
prairie wetland, which are habitats for several endangered and threatened bird
species. The free event will be held from 10 am to 2 pm at the Orland Park
Civic
Center, which is located at 14750 S. Ravinia Avenue in Orland Park. The Civic
Center is just west of LaGrange Road, off of 147th Street (stop light on
LaGrange). Members from organizations involved with the project  the Forest
Preserve District of Cook County, Corporation for Open Lands (CorLands), the
Chicago District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Audubon
Society  will be on hand to discuss the plan and answer questions about it.

The Orland Tract is one of the largest parcels of open space in the south
suburbs. It is bounded by 167th Street to the north, LaGrange Road to the
east,
179th Street to the south and 104th Avenue to the west. Before European
settlement of the area, the site consisted of native grasslands, and wet
prairies and sloughs. The site and surrounding area was eventually drained and
converted to agricultural uses. When the existing preserve was assembled by
Forest Preserve District of Cook County in the 1960s, it was used mainly for
row crop agriculture. In the 1970’s the Forest Preserve District planted the
trees and hayfields presently on the site. 

The present planning effort and proposed restoration is funded through a grant
from CorLands. The first steps in the process were a series of inventories and
analyses of the site that augmented information previously gathered by Forest
Preserve District staff and volunteers. Biologists have found that numerous
species of local and migratory birds use the Orland Tract, four of which are
state-endangered and two are state-threatened. The site has the potential to
provide critical habitat for additional rare and threatened bird species. 

To maximize the site’s ability to become home to more grassland nesting birds
and other plants and animals associated with native landscapes, the draft plan
proposes restoring an extensive continuous block of native grasslands and
wetlands throughout the interior of the property. Public access points and
recreational trails are proposed for the outer portion of the site. As a part
of the proposal the National Audubon Society will work with the Forest
Preserve
District to develop a local volunteer stewardship group to help the District
with monitoring and management of the site. 

The open house on May 4th is a chance for citizens to view and learn more
about
the plan. Citizens will be asked to forward comments and questions regarding
the plan to CorLands through May 24th. 
Judy Pollock
bobolnk@ix.netcom.com