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The Nature Conservancy in Illinois Illinois Contact Places We Protect Field Trips & Events Press Releases Volunteer Ways of Giving |
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Kankakee Sands
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Kankakee Sands takes its name from its sandy soils, which support globally significant oak barrens, prairies and sedge meadows. This region offers rich habitat for birds and small animals. The Mskoda Sands preserve contains some of the best examples of black oak barrens in the Midwest. Unspoiled sand dunes and swales stretch as far as the eye can see.
The Kankakee Sands region presents an unequalled opportunity to protect a naturally functioning landscape, which remains almost unchanged since pre-settlement times.
Location
St. Anne Township, Kankakee County, northeastern Illinois
The Nature Conservancy's Mskoda Sands Preserve and Pembrooke Savanna Nature Preserve are open to the public for hiking.
For directions or additional information, please contact the Conservancy's Rob Littiken at (219) 285-2184.
There are a number of other nature preserves in the area that provide excellent opportunities for birding and other recreation, such as the Hooper Branch Nature Preserve.
Size
The Mskoda Sands preserve spans 640 acres. More than 23,000 acres of high quality natural areas, restoration areas and buffer habitat within the region are owned and managed by the Conservancy and its partners.
What to See at Kankakee Sands: Plants
Oak barrens of stunted oak trees scattered among a rich matrix of prairie grasses and wildflowers. The quality and extent of these barrens provide a rare opportunity to protect and restore a naturally functioning landscape. The Kankakee Sands area is home to a number of state-listed plant species, including the crowned-oval sedge, a species that was once thought to be extinct from the state.
What to See at Kankakee Sands: Animals
The savannas of the Kankakee Sands support unusual combinations of bird species, including the northern bobwhite quail and the red-headed woodpecker, both of which are declining.
Why the Conservancy Selected Kankakee Sands
Prior to European settlement, oak savanna covered about 27 to 32 million acres of the Midwest. By 1985, only 113 sites containing 2,600 acres remained. Development has dramatically impacted the natural processes needed to maintain quality oak savanna ecosystems, making all the more important the preservation of what remains.
This preserve is part of a cross-state Conservancy project, on the border between Illinois and Indiana an hour south of Chicago. The project supports one of the greatest concentrations of black oak savannas remaining in the United States.
To meet the conservation goals for the black oak savanna system, it will be necessary to protect at least 10,000 acres of high quality savanna habitat. Unfortunately, less than 2,000 acres of oak savanna are being conserved.
What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The Conservancy works to connect and restore this land to help protect the natural functions of this unique and fragile ecosystem.
During 2003, the Conservancy protected 76 additional acres of savanna in the Kankakee Sands project area. Working across borders with the Conservancy in Indiana, Illinois land stewards also restored nearly 200 acres of agricultural land to native prairie and constructed shallow wetlands at the Conservancy's Mskoda Sands Preserve. Controlled burning was initiated at two of the largest protected tracts, and stewards also worked to control invasive species. Additionally, the Conservancy is working with local officials to reduce the damage caused by trespassers riding all-terrain vehicles.
