Union Pacific grant gives rare habitat a restoration boost

An aerial view of Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve. (Photo by Chad Merda)

The Nature Foundation of Will County secured a $20,000 grant from Union Pacific Railroad to help restore and protect some of Will County’s rarest and most diverse natural habitats.

Braidwood Dunes and Savanna and Nature Preserve in southern Will County is the focus of increased restoration efforts thanks to the grant from Union Pacific, which has operations in Illinois, including in Will County. The habitat restoration focuses on invasive shrub control in the wet sand prairie and shrub swamp natural communities found at the preserve, said Nick Budde, ecology coordinator for the Forest Preserve District of Will County.

The goal of the project, which will conclude in spring 2026, is to enhance and expand the native plant communities in the work area, Budde said. One of the primary tasks is controlling invasive shrubs, because they can overrun the area and crowd out native species if not consistently controlled.

The grant from Union Pacific allows the Forest Preserve District to complete restoration work that was planned but could not be completed because of budget constraints.

“Without this grant support, these stewardship activities would have been delayed or scaled back,” Budde said, explaining that this is particularly valuable because it allows the District to prevent backsliding on previous progress and maintain momentum of the high-priority habitat management.

This grant-funded restoration will occur in wetter areas of the preserve, where prescribed fire does not always carry through from other areas, Budde said. Using techniques other than fire are necessary to support the health and resilience of the rare native species found in these areas.

Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve includes a variety of sand-based natural communities that support a wide range of native plants and animals, many of which have specialized requirements only found in these ecosystems, Budde said.

Because of the rarity of habitats and the site’s ecological integrity, the preserve protects several species that are listed as threatened or endangered in Illinois, Budde said. This includes the state-endangered Blanding’s turtle, king rail and flat-leaved bladderwort, as well as the state-threatened ornate box turtle, black-billed cuckoo and tubercled orchid.

“Despite being surrounded by a landscape dominated by invasive species and fragmented from other portions of the historic dune-and-swale system, the preserve remains one of the highest-quality examples of native sand prairie, savanna and swale habitats in northeastern Illinois,” Budde said.

The planned work is part of larger restoration efforts at the nature preserve. Budde said the work builds on and supports the Forest Preserve District’s broader conservation goals by maintaining restored areas, expanding habitat management into additional high-priority locations and protecting the investment in past restoration work.

This is just one more example of how The Nature Foundation provides support for the Forest District’s preservation and conservation priorities.