The National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials gave its annual conservation award to the Growing Through Change project at Grant Woods Forest Preserve.
The Lake County Forest Preserves has launched a research project at Grant Woods to restore 180 acres of former farmland within the preserve. The project’s goal is to learn ways to restore resilient native landscapes with plants that can withstand a changing climate.
“Illinois’ climate is predicted to be similar to Oklahoma’s by the year 2050, and that of Texas by 2080,” said Pati Vitt, manager of restoration ecology at the Lake County Forest Preserves.
The project will compare using plants and seeds obtained from more southerly parts of the country with those from the immediate region. Plantings including grass seeds obtained from Kentucky and wetland species from Missouri.
