Forest Preserve District of Will County
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| Forest Preserve District of Will County | |
|---|---|
| Name | Forest Preserve District of Will County |
| Formation | 1927 |
| Type | Special district |
| Location | Will County, Illinois |
| Headquarters | Joliet, Illinois |
Forest Preserve District of Will County is the public agency responsible for acquiring, preserving, and managing natural areas across Will County, Illinois, including woodlands, prairies, wetlands, and waterways near communities such as Joliet, Plainfield, and New Lenox. The district operates preserves, trails, and educational centers that connect to regional systems tied to the Des Plaines River, Kankakee River, and Chicago metropolitan open-space networks. Its work intersects with municipal parks, state agencies, and conservation organizations across northeastern Illinois and the broader Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.
History
The district was established amid Progressive Era conservation trends influenced by figures and entities such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and the National Park Service movement, and formed locally alongside contemporaneous bodies like the Cook County Forest Preserve District and DuPage County Forest Preserve District. Early 20th-century land-use debates engaged stakeholders including the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Works Progress Administration, and regional planners from Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Chicago Park District. Mid-century projects involved coordination with the Illinois Department of Conservation and legal frameworks under the Illinois Constitution and state statutes guiding special districts. Environmental crises and policy shifts—such as responses to the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and invasive-species management exemplified during sightings of Asian carp—shaped acquisitions and restoration priorities. Partnerships have included non-governmental organizations like the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, and local chapters of the Sierra Club. Recent decades saw collaboration with higher-education institutions including University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northern Illinois University, and Illinois State University on ecological research and monitoring.
Geography and Units
Will County lies in northeastern Illinois within the Chicago metropolitan area and spans watershed boundaries involving the Des Plaines River, the Kankakee River, and the Illinois River corridor. Preserves are distributed across townships such as Plainfield Township, Joliet Township, and New Lenox Township and adjoin municipalities like Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Plainfield, and Wilmington. The district manages diverse unit types—river corridors, forest preserves, prairie remnants, wetland complexes, and trail corridors—that form nodes in regional networks including the Grand Illinois Trail, the Majewski Trail System, and connections to the Prairie Parkway concept. Units abut federally managed lands and corridors such as Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and link to state properties like Kankakee River State Park and Starved Rock State Park via ecological and recreational corridors. Infrastructure includes boat launches on waterways used by users from the Calumet Region and trailheads near transportation arteries like Interstate 80, Interstate 55, and U.S. Route 30.
Natural Resources and Biodiversity
Habitats preserved include remnant tallgrass prairie typical of the Central Tallgrass Prairie ecoregion, bottomland hardwood forest characteristic of the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain transition, and sedge-meadow and marsh complexes supporting species also found in the Great Lakes Basin. Flora records document species common to Midwestern restorations—big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, switchgrass, and forbs such as purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan—alongside mature canopy trees like American elm, silver maple, green ash, and white oak. Fauna include migratory birds documented by Audubon Society volunteers and state bird monitoring programs, mammals such as white-tailed deer, red fox, and coyote, and amphibians/reptiles monitored in collaboration with Illinois Natural History Survey. The district faces invasive species pressures from buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), ginger (Lesser celandine), and Phragmites australis, and participates in control efforts also used by partners addressing Asian carp impacts and emerald ash borer infestations documented across Will County. Biodiversity initiatives align with regional schemes promoted by organizations like the Chicago Wilderness consortium and federal programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
Recreation and Facilities
Recreational amenities include multi-use trails for hiking, cycling, and equestrian use that connect to the Illinois Prairie Path and regional trail networks used by riders from DuPage County and Kane County. Water access at riverfront preserves supports canoeing and kayaking consistent with routes on the Des Plaines River Water Trail and the Kankakee River corridor popular with outfitters from Kankakee County. Facilities include visitor centers, nature centers, picnic shelters, and boat launches with programming modeled after centers run by entities like the Lake County Forest Preserve District and the McHenry County Conservation District. The district hosts events that draw partners such as the Will County Historical Society, local chapters of the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA, and outdoor advocates including the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Conservation and Management
Management techniques emphasize prescribed fire, invasive-species removal, ecological restoration, and hydrologic restoration in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Illinois EPA. Restoration projects often mirror protocols developed by the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and scientific practices from the Society for Ecological Restoration and collaborate with municipal stormwater programs and agricultural stakeholders including the Will County Soil and Water Conservation District. Long-term monitoring follows standards used by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory and integrates data from university partners and citizen science platforms such as eBird and iNaturalist.
Education and Community Outreach
Environmental education programs target audiences from local school districts including Joliet Township High School District 204, Plainfield School District 202, and community colleges like Joliet Junior College. Programming is coordinated with museums and cultural organizations such as the Joliet Area Historical Museum and partnerships with volunteer groups including Friends of the Forest Preserves chapters and local chapters of the Illinois Audubon Society. Outreach uses interpretive signage, guided walks, school field trips, and training for volunteers modeled on curricula from the National Association for Interpretation and engages families via festivals, citizen science initiatives with Cornell Lab of Ornithology projects, and stewardship days organized with nonprofit partners like The Conservation Foundation.
Governance and Funding
The district is governed by an elected board or appointed commissioners operating under Illinois statute for special-purpose districts and interacts with county institutions such as the Will County Board and county executive offices. Funding sources include property tax levies administered through county assessors and collectors, grants from state agencies like the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, federal funding streams including competitive grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and private philanthropic support from foundations such as the McCormick Foundation and corporate partners headquartered in the region including companies from Joliet, Illinois and the Chicago business community. Fiscal oversight and capital projects are planned in coordination with metropolitan planning organizations such as the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and regional conservation funders.