User:Ebehlen/Izaak Walton Preserve

Izaak Walton Preserve is a nature preserve located in Homewood, Illinois, in the south suburbs of Chicago. It is 193 acres, privately owned and volunteer-maintained land of many diverse ecosystems including native tallgrass prairie, oak savannas, sand dune formations, and man-made lakes.

Land Use History

Originally part of the Izaak Walton Preserve was farmland, later used by the Illinois Central Railroad to mine sand for construction of Markham Yards starting in 1917, but the area near the west entrance was most likely never farmed. The sand-mining that occurred in the early 1900's lowered the land in the preserve to the top of the highest water table, some five to ten feet lower than it was originally. In 1927 Illinois Central changed the railroad course and so the area was left abandoned and overgrown. During the Depression certain areas were inhabited by homeless people and others were used as a trash dump until the 1960s.

In 1946 the land was finally purchased by the Village of Homewood from Illinois Central (for $435!), thanks to Arthur F. Senior who lived in Homewood and worked as the Vice President for Public Relations at Commonwealth Edison in Chicago. He was a leader in the Izaak Walton League, formed in Chicago in 1922 to address the destruction of natural landscape in the name of progress (and was one of America’s first environmental groups).

In 1983 the area near the west entrance was acquired and restored to its previous native prairie glory, with the help of a $200,000 fundraiser. The man-made lakes in Izaak Walton were dug in 1991 after the village of Homewood bought the nearby land for Prairie Lakes business park. The soil is really mushy over there, not good for foundations, so the folks at Izaak Walton told the village they should dig some lakes for storm water absorption and retention. Because of these lakes, the surrounding neighborhoods don't suffer from bad flooding the way they used to.

Since 1946 the Preserve has been managed by volunteers. Bob Ahlf (the president of Izaak Walton) says these days there are probably about 100 volunteers(more these past two years than before), mostly local middle-aged people who work weekdays and volunteer on weekends.

Timeline

   * Before 1917 there MAY have been some farming by the west entrance, but biologists say it's a virgin prairie.
   * After 1917 the southern part near Ridge Road were sand pits for filling in the quagmire that was Illinois Central Railroad's Markham Yard.
   * Previously, some of the land was higher than Ridge Road, but now it's much lower, about 5 to 10 feet. They dug down to the top of the highest water table.
   * In 1927, the rail road route changed, and so the sand pits were left unattended. During the depression it was a haven for bums, and people dumped their rubbish there as well.
   * In 1943, there was construction on Ridge Road, changing its curves slightly, and the scrap concrete was dumped into the north east corner of the preserve. You can still see some concrete poking out of the ground today if you're observant.
   * In 1946, Art Senior, the VP for Public Relations at ComEd, urged the Village of Homewood to purchase the land, and so it did... 27 acres for $435. Art Senior was heavily involved in the Izaak Walton League of America chapter in Chicago. (IWLA is a conservation league of sorts, especially invested in the interests of fishers).
   * In 1983 the preserve raised $200,000 for native prairie restoration over near the west entrance.
   * In 1991 Washington Race Track just north of the preserve was having some problems and couldn't sell the land, so Homewood bought it for business development purposes. The ground there is soft and mushy. There was a new Cook County ordinance that a property´s storm water can´t drain into its neighbor´s property, so the folks over at Izaak Walton advised the village to build lakes to regulate the storm water. It stopped flooding the surrounding neighborhoods which used to have flood problems.
   * In 1996 Izaak Walton signed a lease with the Village of Homewood to last until 2095.

References

• [1] Homewood Izaak Walton's official website.
• [2] The village of Homewood's Website about Izaak Walton.
• [3] The author's school project containing images of plants, more information, maps, and a restoration proposal.
• [4] Notes from an interview with Bob Ahlf, president of Izaak Walton.