Forest Glen Preserve grows by 118 acres

WESTVILLE – Right now, the 107-acre field just east of Forest Glen Preserve looks like any other unharvested cornfield in Illinois, but over the next three years, that land will slowly transform into the largest single piece of upland prairie in Vermilion County.

On Wednesday, the Vermilion County Chapter of Pheasants Forever closed on the purchase of the 107 acres, which borders Forest Glen Preserve, just east of the county park's main entrance.

The chapter gathered local donations and secured various grants to purchase the ground that will be donated to the Vermilion County Conservation District. The district's foundation also purchased an additional 11 acres from the same seller that was all wooded, meaning a total of 118 acres will be added to Forest Glen's current 1,800 acres, according to Ken Konsis, director of the conservation district.

Several members of the local Pheasants Forever chapter and members of the Vermilion County Conservation District Foundation and district staff gathered Wednesday at the new habitat site to mark the transfer of the property.

Named the Busby-Meyer Wildlife Area after deceased chapter members Carl Busby and Mark Meyers, the 107 acres will be planted with grasses native to Illinois, including switchgrass, big blue stem, little blue stem, India grass and forbs, or long-stem flowers, and may harbor some wetland area as drainage tiles will be broken during the restoration process, according to Matt Bradshaw, regional wildlife biologist for Pheasants Forever.

Bradshaw said the habitat, which will take about three years to fully emerge, will not only benefit upland game birds, but all wildlife, including deer and squirrels. It will be used for hunting for a few weeks each fall but will be open for a variety of recreational opportunities throughout the year, including educational opportunities for students and other visitors.

David Harden, president of the local chapter, said there will be a memorial to Busby and Meyer, a pavilion open to the public and access points for students to learn about the prairie.

Konsis said the entire project began more than a year ago, when Forest Glen staff alerted him that the 118 acres was up for sale and possible buyers were interested in logging the wooded section adjacent to the park.

Konsis said the conservation district wanted to buy the wooded area, but the sellers didn't wanted to break up the property.

So Konsis contacted Pheasants Forever and made a presentation that launched the chapter's drive to raise money and get grants to purchase the 107 acres for a prairie habitat project, and the conservation district's foundation raised money to purchase the 11 wooded acres.

"It's just a win-win situation for everyone involved," Konsis said.

Chapter member Ken Burkhamer said the local community really stepped up in supporting the chapter's cause, and all the fundraisers the group has had in its 20-plus years of existence have paid off in this project.

"It validates our existence," he said.

The chapter also secured grant funding for the project from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Fund, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Build-A-Wildlife-Area Illinois fund, the Vermilion County Conservation District Foundation and the Illinois State Council of Pheasants Forever.

Also on this date

• Jurors hear from accused in murder of Champaign couple
• Vermilion animal shelter director suspended
• Rankin teen killed in early-morning crash
• Crimestoppers president gets award from FBI
• Sanitary district gets $20 million loan
• Construction near Goodwin, Green to close streets
• St. Joseph-Ogden, UI graduate dies in Baghdad
• UI receives H1N1 vaccine, but not the kind it needs
• Champaign man accused of swindling neighbor
• Obituaries

» More