The Nature Foundation of Will County has been awarded a $10,000 grant to fund restoration work that will protect globally rare and endangered plant species and enhance habitat for vital pollinators.

The grant will fund habitat restoration work on 59 acres at the Forest Preserve District of Will County’s Lockport Prairie East Preserve and the adjacent Dellwood Park West, which is owned and managed by the Lockport Township Park District. It was awarded by the Green Region Grant program, which aims to help northern Illinois communities plan, expand and restore open spaces. It is administered through a partnership between ComEd and Openlands.

Both Lockport Prairie East and Dellwood Park West are home to rare dolomite prairie habitat and several endangered and rare plant species only grow in this specific habitat, said Chris Hanley, restoration ecologist for the Forest Preserve District. The restoration work will help support leafy prairie clover (Dalea foliosa), which is federally and state endangered, and slender sandwort (Minuartia patula) which is state endangered.

The site also supports a variety of pollinating insects. In 2024, a federally endangered insect was spotted at Lockport Prairie East, the first time the species had been spotted in the Will County preserves in many decades. The discovery underscores the importance of controlling and removing invasive species to support the diverse native plant species that make this such a high-quality natural area.

The grant will fund herbicide treatments and prescribed fire to remove invasive plants, Chris said. The final step of the project is supplemental seeding. Work began this year and will continue through winter 2027.

“Funding from grant programs such as these is extremely helpful and important to the work we do,” Chris said. “They help to ensure we are protecting our highest quality and most sensitive natural areas and allow us to expand our management footprint.”

Because Lockport Prairie East and Dellwood Park West are contiguous, the site is treated as one project area. Restoration work is completed under a cooperative agreement with the Lockport Township Park District, with the Forest Preserve overseeing land management and the Park District providing financial support.

“This collaboration is key to protecting the federally listed species that make Lockport Prairie East and Dellwood Park West their home,” Chris said.

The Forest Preserve District received Green Region Grants twice previously. In 2018, it received the grant for tallgrass prairie restoration at Prairie Bluff Preserve, and in 2014 the grant funded trail and habitat enhancements at Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve.

Through grants such as these, The Nature Foundation helps the Forest Preserve District stretch its dollars — and its impact. These additional funds help the Forest Preserve protect these high-quality natural areas for future generations to enjoy.