Silver Anniversary - 25 Years of Restoration Timeline
A Timeline of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie History
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established on February 10, 1996 by the Illinois Land Conservation Act.
Over time, land where the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant was instrumental during WWII, the Korean War and more, will be transferred from the U.S. Army to the USDA Forest Service. So far, approximately 18,500 acres of land have been transferred. Four key are identified in the legislation, including: (1) Restoration; (2) Recreation; (3) Agriculture; and (4) Research and Education.
1996
- First sign is installed on June 22 at the Supervisor’s Office.
- First seed production gardens (“seedbeds”) are started at the Supervisor’s Office, (farmhouse until 2003); and at Chicago Road.
- 38 volunteers sign up to provide guided interpretive tours.
- The Chicago Wilderness Project is organized; alliance of the USDA FS, I-DNR, Openlands and The Nature Conservancy
- First call is made for volunteers to establish a plant nursery.
- Oral history project begins. USDA FS Archaeologist Mary McCorvie and Recreational Planner Pat Welch meet with arsenal workers and farm families in Wilmington.
1997
- Federally listed endangered Leafy Prairie Clover is identified in dolomite prairie.
- Midewin Alliance is incorporated in February.
- Seedbeds are established at River Road.
- First seasonal internship crews begin.
- First Prairie Telegraph newsletter is published by the Friends of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
- First land is transferred: 15,080 acres are transferred from the U.S. Army to the USDA FS on March 10.
- Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance (previously Joliet Arsenal Prairie Parkland Alliance) incorporates as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation in February.
1998
- First shade house is built.
- First Mighty Acorns interpretive program for elementary school students.
- First volunteer recognition picnic is hosted; features “Chubby Bunny” Marshmallow Eating Contest.
1999
- National Forest System signs are installed.
- First National Public Lands Day is hosted; volunteers collect seeds, plant in the seedbeds, remove fencing, clean up interim trail and work on an archaeology project at a farmstead site.
- First wetland restoration plan is developed by The Wetlands Initiative.
- Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is dedicated.
2000
- Population viability assessments are collected and documented in order to prepare for the Prairie Plan.
- First identification guide is published (prairie plants).
- The Midewin Writers Society is established and hosts a “Fall Writers Workshop,” which is led by Volunteer Arthur Pearson
2001
- Two temporary trails – the Henslow Loop and the Newton Trail – open at the Explosives Road Trailhead in March.
- First Interagency Hotshot Crew employees arrive in July; first prescribed burning is conducted in 2 locations in December.
- Some of the first public tours are hosted, featuring birding tours on the west side and motorized tours on the east side.
- Restoration work begins at Prairie Creek Woods (113 acres), as well as at Exxon Mobil (47 acres); and at Vulcan Tracts (87 acres).
- Deer hunting program begins (October-January); two hunting workshops are held at Wilmington City Hall- announced in August.
- Partnership Agreement is established with the USDA FS and El Valor.
- Demolition of U.S. Army infrastructure begins- Warehouses along Hoff Road (framework of buildings remains visible for several years); 25 bridges & trestles are removed. Work begins to remove 3,000 poles and unsalvageable railroad ties.
- The State of Illinois grants $26,500 to fund the Prairie Parklands Partnership for wetlands restoration and a volunteer brochure in September.
2002
- Prairie Plan is complete.
- First summer jobs for teens programs are announced.
- First equestrian tour is hosted.
- Major restoration funding is coordinated by CorLands and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so that restoration can begin on South Patrol Road, Route 66, and Prairie Creek Woods; wetland seedbeds is started- leads to first permanent planting by volunteers.
- First Ghost of the Ammunition Plant Tour is hosted for the public, led by volunteers who worked at the Elwood Ordinance Plant.
2003
- Construction is complete on new Supervisor’s Office and Welcome Center building; Grand Opening is celebrated on May 16.
- A partnership agreement is established with the USDA FS and the Midewin Interpretive Association.
- Midewin Interpretive Association bookstore is opened in the new Welcome Center.
- Midewin Explorations Lecture Series begins for indoor presentations.
2004
- The first 5,000 acres are accessible to the public; 11 miles of new interim trails at the Hoff Road Trailhead (Twin Oaks Trail) in June.
- Permanent trail construction begins on the west side trail.
- First bunker demolition is complete on west side.
- A partnership Agreement is established with the USDA Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy for management of the Midewin NTP Volunteer program (March 5).
- Midewin Heritage Association is formally established on November 4.
- Restoration of the Mola Tract (64 acres) begins.
2005
- First permanent Trail Construction begins on the west side.
- Restoration around the North Portal Sign (3.5 acres near Iron Bridge Trailhead) is complete.
- The greenhouse is built adjacent to the Horticulture Building.
2006
- Construction of the Bailey Bridge begins.
- Volunteers create “story board” quilts featuring Midewin NTP past, present and future.
2007
- Iron Bridge Trailhead opens to the public.
- Bailey Bridge is complete.
- Middle Grant Creek restoration (463 acres) begins.
- First curation agreement with USDA FS Midewin NTP and Illinois State Museum is signed in August
2008
- The Iron Bridge over Route 53 is decked and finished, creating a useable connection between east and west sides of Midewin NTP along the Henslow Trail.
- Wilderness Volunteers from throughout the U.S. come together to build trail bridge on west side.
- Grant Creek Bridge is complete.
- South Point Academy students build overlook at Welcome Center Pond and fire ring near Iron Bridge Trailhead.
- Lower Drummond restoration work begins (103 acres); additional restoration begins at South Patrol Road (176 acres).
- USDA FS partners with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Illinois Deparment of Natural Resources and the Forest Preserve Districts of Kane and Will counties to help augment existing populations or introduce the federally endangered leafy prairie clover at suitable sites in Northeast Illinois; Midewin NTP grows and provides 1,300 seedlings for the project, establishing large population at Des Plaines Conservation Area.
2009
- Volunteer program receives National USDA FS 2018 Honor Award.
- Wilderness volunteers build an overlook at Buttonbush Pond along the Prairie Creek Woods Loop Trail.
- USDA FS Chief Tidwell visits; harvests seeds.
- Iron Bridge Prairie restoration (47 acres) begins.
2010
- Restoration Team and Volunteers receive 2009 National Grasslands Award.
- Turn lanes are introduced on Highway 53 at Supervisor’s Office.
- Two bridges are installed to further develop the West Side Trail.
- Grant Creek South (244 acres) restoration begins.
- The Grass Frog Interim Trail (sections of which later were developed to extend/expand the Henslow Trail) opens
2011
- “Years of Service” pins are established for recognizing Volunteers for service.
- The National Forest Foundation announces a "Restoration and Conservation Plan for Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie."
- Inventory of drain tile is conducted.
- A volunteer work day is held in July with the goal of planting 10,000 native wildflowers in a single day.
- The Grant Creek North (196 acres), Gravel Ridge (200 acres) and Lobelia Meadows (159 acres) restorations begin.
2012
- The first North Lawndale College Prep High School students become actively involved in restoration through a partnership agreement with the USDA FS and the National Forest Foundation in June.
- The National Forest Foundation identifies Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie as one of 11 “Treasured Landscapes” in its national Treasured Landscape program.
- The Drummond Floodplain (199 acres) and South Prairie Creek Outwash Plains (373 acres) restorations begin.
2013
- An open house is hosted in April for the public to learn about proposal to introduce bison.
2014
- The 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War is celebrated in June with an interpretive program.
2015
- A herd of bison is introduced through a Partnership Agreement with the USDA FS and the National Forest Foundation. Volunteers, partners and staff begin monitoring whether the herd’s grazing, which creates more varied lengths of grass, is encouraging the return of birds that are native to Illinois tallgrass prairie.
- A partnership is created with the USDA FS and the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the fight against Asian carp in the Great Lakes. Midewin NTP becomes satellite office for USFWS staff.
- Over 2,300 acres is treated by prescribed fire.
2016
- Volunteer Jerry Heinrich receives National USDA FS 2016 Honor Award in Restoration category.
- Restoration begins in the Prairie Glacial Plains- collaboration with the USDA FS, National Forest Foundation, The Wetlands Initiative, The Nature Conservancy.
- A bison web cam is introduced through a Partnership Agreement with the USDA Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation. The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Bison Herd grazes over 1,000 acres of land, and updates are posted on Facebook and Twitter when bison are visible in the bison cam.
- First archaeological explorations at Middle Grant Creek are conducted by Notre Dame University through an Archaeological Resources Protection Act permit.
2017
- A challenge cost-share agreement is established between the USDA Forest Service and Olivet Nazarene University and to study bee life at Midewin, including whether the “critically endangered” rusty-patched bumble bee (the first bee species in the continental U.S. to be declared endangered - 2017) is present.
- Type 6 fire engine is staffed with full-time crew.
2018
- Volunteer Mary Lou Jordan receives National USDA FS 2017 Honor Award in Restoration category.
- A report prepared by Olivet Nazarene University documents the federally endangered Rusty Patched bumblebee at two sites on the prairie, which also was the first documented occurrence of the species in Will County, Illinois.
- On their journey to Mexico, an unprecedented number of monarchs captivate visitors to the prairie for two weeks as they huddle together in brilliant clusters in trees near the Iron Bridge Trailhead and in the River Road Seedbeds.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes the U.S. Army and the USDA Forest Service for strides in reuse of the land where the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant was active.
- Midewin NTP is host site for the Eastern Region as roundtable discussions are hosted throughout the region for stakeholders to share ideas and learn more about the Environmental Assessment Decision Making process.
- The first bison are transferred from Midewin NTP to affiliates working to increase diversity within their herds; to establish a conservation herd or to increase their herd population.
2019
- A painted bunting shows off its fantastic colors for a captive crowd of photographers for two weeks near turtle pond as it rests while migrating through the Prairie State.
- Over 5,700 acres is treated by prescribed fire.
2020
- Volunteer Floristic Quality Assessment Team receives National USDA FS 2019 Volunteer and Service Award in Restoration category.
- Midewin NTP interpretive guides receive certification through the National Association for Interpretation.
- Trail counters are installed at Trailheads; data will be utilized for analysis and strategy intended to increase and augment service to the public.