Fifty Acres Restored with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Funds

Fifty Acres Restored with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Funds Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge is pleased to announce the successful restoration of a 50-acre parcel made possible by a Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The parcel is owned by Openlands and is located within the Queen Anne Core of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge north of Woodstock, Illinois. This restoration work was made possible with the support of NFWF - this Nation’s largest private conservation grant-maker that works with both public and private sectors to protect and restore our Nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats for current and future generations.

The $48,000 Five Star and Urban Waters Grant from NFWF was used to restore a 26-acre wetland basin and convert 24 acres of cropland back to prairie. Important partners with this project included Openlands, which took the cropland out of production and planted a temporary cover crop – preparing the ground for conversion to prairie. The McHenry County Conservation District also provided support, partnering with the Friends to conduct a controlled burn of the site and to spread prairie seed during the winter months. 

Other partners included students from Richmond-Burton Community High School, Marengo High School, Alden-Hebron High School, McHenry High School, and Woodstock High School who assisted with collecting prairie seed and controlling invasive brush. In addition to overseeing this restoration project, members and volunteers with FOHNWR also provided countless hours of support and brush removal. This project will enhance and provide habitat for a suite of grassland and wetland plants and wildlife. 

At the request of NFWF, the Friends of Hackmatack NWR report the following: “The views and conclusions contained in this article are those of the authors (the Friends) and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or the policies of the U.S. Government or the NFWF and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the NFWF or its funding sources.”

About Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge — The mission of Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge is to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural resources, rural character and scenic beauty of the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and to connect people to these resources. For more information, visit www.hackmatacknwr.org