CITGO grant funds restoration work at rare dolomite prairie

(Photo by Anthony Schalk)

Will County is home to some of the rarest habitats in the world, and one of those — dolomite prairie — is the focus of expanded restoration efforts thanks to CITGO Petroleum Corporation.

The Nature Foundation of Will County received $35,000 from CITGO’s Caring for Our Coast grant program to fund additional restoration efforts at Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve, which includes the globally rare dolomite prairie.

The grant will be used to control invasive plant species as well as native plant seeding, said Forest Preserve District ecology coordinator Nick Budde. The goal of the restoration work at Romeoville Prairie is to support the growth of native plant communities and improve habitat conditions for the animal species that rely on them.

Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve is in the Des Plaines River Valley, and the location is home to dolomite prairie remnant along with groundwater-fed wetlands, Budde said. The unique habitat allows the land to support several rare, endangered and threatened plant and animal species. Among the endangered and threatened species at the preserve are the Blanding’s turtle, spotted turtle, Hine’s emerald dragonfly, lakeside daisy and leafy prairie clover.

“Given the rarity of the species and assemblages that occur at Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve, it is one of our highest priorities when we are deciding where we will spend our limited time, energy and money,” he said.

Budde said the $35,000 grant enables the Forest Preserve to expand the habitat restoration work planned at the Preserve this year by an additional 68.5 acres.  Restoration work is expected to begin this fall starting with invasive species control, primarily for reed canary grass, and then continue in the winter with native plant seedings to reintroduce native species that naturally occur in dolomite sedge meadow and wet prairie plant communities.

Tara Neff, executive director of The Nature Foundation, expressed gratitude for the partnership. “We’re incredibly thankful to CITGO for their generous support. Together, we’re advancing shared goals of environmental protection, conservation, and restoration.”

Since it began in 2014, CITGO has invested more than $8 million in its Caring for Our Coast initiative to protect vulnerable coastal and inland habitats. Through the program, more than 15,000 acres of land have been restored and nearly 1 million trees and grasses have been planted.

Receiving the Caring for Our Coast grant is another step in The Nature Foundation’s growing relationship with CITGO. The corporation generously sponsored the Forest Preserve’s Pollinator Party event at Isle a la Cache Museum and plans to complete volunteer work in the area as well.

CITGO’s most recent investment in the Forest Preserve’s conservation efforts demonstrates how this partnership can help make a healthier environment now and for future generations.