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Chinquapin Bluffs Preserve
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Chinquapin Bluffs consists of woodlands and prairies that harbor six different natural communities, including black oak / white oak hickory woodland, glacial drift hill prairie, skunk cabbage seepage meadow, sliver maple-elm-cottonwood forest, medium gradient river and the chinquapin oak bluff woodland that gives the preserve its name.
Location
On the Mackinaw River in Central Illinois
Size
736 acres
Directions
From Bloomington/Normal:
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Take 150 West. Three miles after crossing I-74 you will turn 90 degrees to the left. One half mile after this, turn north (right) on Sunset Lake Road (825E)
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Follow this road north for about four miles. After a 90-degree bend in the road to the right, proceed straight ahead down a dirt lane approximately 300 meters
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You will see the gate to the preserve straight ahead.
From Champaign-Urbana:
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Take I-74 West to the Route 150 exit
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Turn right on to Route 150 heading towards Carlock
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Just before you reach Carlock, you will turn north (right) on Sunset Lake Road (825 East)
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Follow this road north for about four miles. After a 90-degree bend in the road to the right proceed straight ahead down a dirt lane approximately 300 meters
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You will see the gate to the preserve straight ahead.
What to See: Plants
The state-threatened Hill's thistle is found here. In the savanna you'll find Purple Milk Weed, and in the woodlands and prairies keep an eye out for Culver's root. Two hill prairie shrubs found at Chinquapin Bluffs are the lead plant and the New Jersey tea shrub. In the spring, flowers such as the narrow-lobed hepatica, ginseng, jack-in-the-pulpit and wood detony are in bloom.
What to See: Animals
This preserve is home to three state-threatened species: the red-shouldered hawk, brown creeper and the river otter. Many other sensitive species also can be found at the preserve, such as the large yellow lady slipper orchid, red-headed woodpecker, ellipse mussel and black-billed cuckoo. A great blue heron rookery of about twenty birds has been established recently here.
Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Chinquapin Bluffs is a keystone of the Conservancy's work within the Mackinaw River watershed. The area only has a fraction of its former natural diversity and has a vast potential for restoration. The goal is to dramatically increase species diversity in all areas of the preserve within the next five years. The watershed covers more than 740,000 acres and contains some of the most productive agricultural land in the country. More than 90 percent of the watershed is used for agricultural production, so any attempts to improve the condition of the area's natural resources must be approached in a manner sensitive to the needs of the agricultural community.
What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Conservancy works side by side with farmers, conservation groups and government agencies, through the Conservancy-initiated Mackinaw River Partnership. This partnership has led to dozens of projects with private landowners as part of the Mackinaw River Watershed Plan, the community's blueprint for protecting the ecological integrity of the area.
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Active management of this preserve began in the fall of 1997, with exotic species control and thinning of invasive mesic trees in the Chinquapin Oak Woodlands. In the summer of 1998, wetlands were excavated in floodplain fields; later that winter, these fields were seeded with a mesic prairie mix. Nine prescribed burns have been conducted, and more than 1,600 hours of volunteer labor have been logged as part of the ongoing effort to restore this area.
The Bloomington-based Parklands Foundation is a non-profit land trust that owns 40 acres of oak hickory woodland adjacent to Chinquapin Bluffs. The Conservancy works with the foundation to manage this and other properties they own. Illinois State University students participate in workdays at Chinquapin, and local high schools, college students and Boy and Girl Scout troops also volunteer at the preserve.
