New Education Native Garden Planted in Fulton County
By - Jaime Webb, Program Cordinator Prairie Land Conservancy
Prairie Land Conservancy is excited to announce the completion of a new education native garden planting at Prairie Hills Wetland Reserve (PHWR)! This 550 acre property of conserved land is located just off the Illinois River Scenic Byway and has habitat ranging from wetlands to upland prairies.
On Saturday, August 23rd, Prairie Land Conservancy and their partner Fulton Junior Master Naturalists (JMN), a local 4-H club, completed a planting of nearly 150 native trees and prairie plants, made up of 22 different native species. Ten students and their guardians and club leaders helped carefully plant these native species where they will put down new roots and provide habitat for Illinois wildlife. They also mulched the walking trail as well as around the plantings to protect these young plants and retain soil moisture.
Along with the planting project, students also hiked the public trails at PHWR, comparing the upland forest to the lower prairie habitat and the different insects and plants they saw there. These trails are open to the public for recreation from dawn until dusk when the property has public access (see PLC website for closure dates).
This new native educational garden will be a great resource for local community members interested in learning about native species in Illinois. Future projects with PLC and JMN will include educational signage and continued weeding of the garden beds to keep out invasive plant species.
This project was made possible thanks to the Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant which was awarded to Junior Master Naturalists and Prairie Land Conservancy in 2024. The grant is made possible thanks to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Jadel Youth Fund, the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation and the Illinois Conservation Foundation.
We hope to see you check out the new garden as well as the other trails at Prairie Hills Wetland Reserve as the prairie blooms this fall!