James 'Pate' Philip State Park

Bartlett, IL

James 'Pate' Philip State Park History

In 1989, the Illinois General Assembly appropriated $10 million to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for the acquisition of James 'Pate' Philip State Park. The goal was to blend the forest, marshland and grasslands of DuPage County's Pratt's Wayne Woods Forest Preserve to the south with the newly purchased conservation lands to the north. The establishment of native vegetation would create new opportunities for wildlife corridors and greenway connections to DuPage, Kane and Cook counties.

In 1991, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources developed the Native Vegetation Restoration Plan to guide preliminary restoration activities at the site. Since most of the park's property was used for agricultural purposes, the plan called for the conversion of row crops to native vegetation where possible, the removal of cattle from pastureland, the removal of hedgerows, and the reintroduction of natural processes, such as fire, to the few remnant native plant communities that remain at the site.

In 1995, plans began for the construction of the new Region 2 Illinois Department of Natural Resources headquarters and the park’s nature center. Construction began in the fall of 2000, and the park opened to the public in April 2003. The land and the building are owned by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in trust for all Illinois citizens; the land is managed by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and the nature center is managed by the Bartlett Park District.

Nature Center

For information on nature center hours, exhibits, educational programs and picnic shelter reservations, contact the Bartlett Park District at (847) 608-3100.