Project Update

Grassland Restoration Project
at Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve (10/2/08)

Project History

Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve is home to a 300-acre grassland, one of the few remaining uninterrupted tracts of its kind in the county. Nationwide, the loss and fragmentation of large areas of short-stature grasses with few shrubs or trees has gravely affected populations of birds that rely on this specialized habitat for breeding, nesting, foraging and overwintering.
Over the past few years, Forest Preserve District ecologists have observed grassland birds like Henslow’s sparrows, bobolinks, grasshopper sparrows, and savannah sparrows resting and breeding at Hawk Hollow, a sign that the site has potential to support these uncommon species. However, because the area is currently dominated by tall Eurasian grasses, the ability for grassland birds to use this section of Hawk Hollow to their fullest is greatly limited.
By restoring the site to a more open grassland with appealing native plants, the Forest Preserve District hopes to offer struggling populations of grassland birds much-needed habitat right here in DuPage County.

Project Funding

Part of the funding is from a $170,765 Natural Resources Conservation Service Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program grant, which promotes the restoration of declining or important wildlife habitats and the protection and enhancement of habitats of at-risk species. An additional $105,000 is from the budget of the Forest Preserve District’s Office of Natural Resources, whose staff is also contributing considerable time to the project.

Project Overview

The restoration methods that the Forest Preserve District has selected have been successful in similar projects and include the following:

• Removal of undesirable tree and shrub species to provide the unbroken, open grassland that these birds require

• Application of herbicide to nonnative grasses and invasive plant species

• Use of prescription fire by trained staff under carefully chosen weather conditions to remove dead plant materials Click here to learn more about prescription fire»

Seeding with native grassland species

Crews will apply herbicide on the east side of the site over several days this fall, weather permitting, and will seed the ground this winter. As a conservation agency, the Forest Preserve District has carefully chosen appropriate herbicides and will use them in the lowest concentrations possible. The trails will remain open, but signs will notify visitors of the activity.
Crews will treat the west and north sections in the fall of 2009.

Project Drawings