Winter 2004

A variety of habitats were created by a combination of glacial kames and marshland depressions, one of the best natural areas in the county

Kane County, Illinois

"Imagine this place thousands of years ago," says Drew Ullberg, director of planning for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, sweeping his hand across a swath of Freeman Kame-Ed Meagher Forest Preserve in far northern Kane County. "Over there would have been a massive glacier, the ice a mile thick. As it retreated, the sands and gravel in the meltwater runoff left behind what you see now." He's referring to the rare mounded glacial kames, the formations for which the preserve was named.

The variety of habitat and structure created by the close proximity of the kames and marshland depressions tucked among them makes this area not only rare, but stunning. In part because of its exceptional topography, Freeman Kame is now one of the highest-rated natural areas in the county. Beginning with the initial acquisition of the Freeman estates in 1985, the Freeman Kame-Ed Meagher preserve has grown to 450 spectacular acres, including high-quality wetland, woodland, and prairie. In the north and west of the preserve lies part of the old Meagher Farm. Though portions are still farmed, the district plans eventually to restore natural communities there as well.

Interestingly, nearly every acre at the preserve has been either logged or grazed. Many of the trees here are "grubs," Ullberg explains, trees that have been chewed by animals (typically deer or cattle) or cut down and have re-sprouted from the roots.

For this reason, the occasional red oak becomes two, each growing in its own direction. Despite this use by prior owners, high-quality natural communities survive all over the preserve. In the wooded areas, the owners cared for the land and did not overgraze or overlog. In the lower wet areas, the owners did not plow or drain the land, so it remained relatively undisturbed.

In fact, some of the land even benefited from controlled burning before being acquired by the Forest Preserve District. The hunt club that once leased its land here allowed volunteers to burn and manage the area. From atop a kame, we overlook the savanna that was once home to the club. The results of the controlled burns are obvious — we can see an area free of buckthorn and other invasive species.

Despite the preserve's proximity to a small private airport, the most startling noise visitors are likely to hear are the boisterous calls of the site's several pairs of nesting sandhill cranes. Due to the diversity of habitat structure here, visitors can often see a wide assortment of birds. The woodlands draw warblers, woodpeckers, cuckoos, thrushes, and hawks. Step into the marshlands to see the marsh and sedge wrens, rails, cranes, and willow flycatchers. Another winged inhabitant of the marshes, the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly, relies on the stands of turtlehead plant here for nourishment.

Having descended the wooded kames, we tread through the adjoining basin. The ground wobbles beneath our feet. We're standing on what was likely once a bog (an acidic type of wetland), says Ullberg, pointing to a colony of bog goldenrod. On our way through the basin we also find blue-leaved willow, buckbean, hoary willow, marsh marigolds, bog violet, panicled aster, and marsh shield fern. Beyond the bog and a sedge meadow, we encounter a fine example of a signature Chicago Wilderness ecosystem — an oak-hickory savanna.

Visitors will find 3.5 miles of mowed trails at Freeman Kame — excellent paths for cross-country skiing during the winter. Horseback riding is also permitted. The district is currently looking for a volunteer steward for the area. To learn more about Freeman Kame and its restoration, call (630) 232-5980.

— Jennifer Tang