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Morton Arboretum, comprised of designed landscapes, plant collections, and restored natural communities, is a living museum for research and education. Originally the land was mostly forested with some prairies, wetlands, and aquatic communities. The Morton family designated land from the family farm to be converted to an arboretum beginning in 1917. The Arboretum's prairie restoration site is one of the best places in Illinois to experience the prairies of presettlement times. |
SIZE: 51,653 acres; 81 square miles
LOCATION: Northeastern Illinois, western Chicago metropolitan area; DuPage and Will counties
The DuPage River site is located in the highly urbanized western suburbs of Chicago. It is comprised of the watershed of the East Branch of the DuPage River. Because of its small size, this RRA ranked relatively high among the watersheds based on percentage of forest and nonforested wetlands in the watershed. Wooded areas such as Morton Arboretum and county forest preserves contributed to inclusion of this site as a Resource Rich Area.
LANDCOVER: This RRA is the most urbanized of the sites; urban/built-up
land accounts for 68% of the area. Upland woods cover 19% of the area,
some of which is heavily wooded residential areas. There is little bottomland
woods. The DuPage River RRA ranks sixth in percentage of nonforested wetlands;
they are concentrated along the river.
NATURAL AREAS: Seven sites covering 1,576 acres occur in this RRA. They range in size from small prairie sites (10 and 33 acres) and a marsh (eight acres) to Morton Arboretum (1,423 acres).
BIOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT STREAMS: There are no BSS streams in this site.
HERITAGE SITES: There are relatively few Heritage Sites; they include three community types, six plant species, and five animal species.
STATE AND FEDERAL LAND: There is no state or federal land in this site.
NATURE PRESERVES: Principal natural features at the two Nature Preserves in this RRA are prairies, upland forest, savanna, and sedge meadow.
NATURAL DIVISIONS: This site lies entirely within the Northeastern Morainal Division.
SUMMARY OF SITE CHARACTERISTICS: SIZE, BIOLOGIC RESOURCES, AND PUBLIC LANDS
| Total Acreage | 51,653 |
| Natural Areas | |
| Acreage | 1,576 |
| Number | 7 |
| Biologically Significant Stream Mileage | 0 |
| Natural Heritage Sites | 17 |
| State Land | |
|
State Parks |
0 |
|
State Conservation Areas |
0 |
|
State Forests |
0 |
|
State Fish & Wildlife Areas |
0 |
|
Acreage |
0 |
|
Percentage of RRA |
0.0 |
| Federal Land | |
|
Acreage |
0 |
|
Percentage of RRA |
0.0 |
| LANDCOVER |
Acres |
% of RRA |
|
| Upland forest | 9,593.45 | 18.57 | |
| Bottomland forest | 507.39 | 0.98 | |
| Wetland-nonforested | 1,351.77 | 2.62 | |
| Grassland | 2,706.95 | 5.24 | |
| Cropland | 1,309.42 | 2.54 | |
| Urban/Built-up | 35,252.98 | 68.26 | |
| Water | 925.26 | 1.79 | |
| TOTAL | 51,647.22 | 100.00 |
| ILLINOIS NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY SITES |
Acres |
| Belmont Prairie | 10 |
| Churchill Prairie | 33 |
| East Branch Marsh | 8 |
| Lyman Woods | * |
| Maple Grove Forest Preserve | 52 |
| Morton Arboretum | 1,423 |
| Swift Road Meadow | 51 |
| * = point location, map not available |
None
| Communities | Occurrences | Types/Species |
|
Forest |
2 | 1 |
|
Prairie |
2 | 2 |
| Threatened and Endangered Animals | ||
|
Bird |
4 | 4 |
|
Reptile |
1 | 1 |
| Threatened and Endangered Plants | ||
|
Plant-Dicot |
3 | 2 |
|
Plant-Monocot |
5 | 4 |
| Geological Feature | ||
| Other |
| STATE AND FEDERAL LAND |
Acres |
| State Parks | 0 |
| State Conservation Areas | 0 |
| State Forests | 0 |
| State Fish and Wildlife Areas | 0 |
| Federal Land | 0 |
| ILLINOIS NATURE PRESERVES |
Acres |
| Belmont Prairie | 10 |
| Churchill Prairie | 65 |
| NATURAL DIVISIONS |
Acres in RRA |
% of RRA |
% of Division |
| Northeastern Morainal | 51,653 | 100.0 | 2.1 |