Grant Creek Prairie Needs Friends – Fast!

By Jonathan Sabath

It’s one of the largest and best quality prairies in Illinois. But the Grant Creek Prairie Nature Preserve, about ten miles south of Joliet on I -55, is badly at risk. Scattered invasive species currently threaten, by one expert’s estimate, 50 out of 78 acres of this irreplaceable biodiversity. A number of the plants, animals, and other denizens of this hidden gem can only be found at a handful of other places in the world – their loss would be tragic.

Yellow flowered birdsfoot tree-foil here threatens to wipe out hairy ruellia (in bloom) and many other rare plants.  

How did this happen? To sum it up – the people responsible for the site are spread too thin. But they’d welcome help, and it’s not too late: We the People can make a big difference for this treasure.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources biologist Melissa Grycan and Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves are offering to train people ready to save nature here. “This work needs people who really care and want to do something important,” says Friends volunteer Eriko Kojima. “We’ll need to learn plants to be sure that we protect the rare species while we work to eliminate the invasives. But even though it’s technical, it’s fun and rewarding too – especially when you do it with other people!”

Birdsfoot trefoil – a malignant alien species that is the primary threat to the site  – requires precision herbicide treatment to be removed: “chemotherapy for the prairie.” At other preserves, stewards communities have succeeded with this challenge. “We’ve seen areas at other important natural areas almost die off – but volunteers getting involved turned things around, and the species really recovered,” said Grycan. 

Left unchecked, birdsfoot trefoil can poison and shade out most other species, destroying the diverse plants, animals, and relationships of healthy prairie. 

“People sometimes think, ‘there’s no way we’ll get rid of all of this,’” said Kojima. “But when people care, we’ve done it. We’ve gotten rid of reed canary grass at other preserves, by being persistent and careful, and the ecosystem is so much healthier, so many more butterflies, birds, it’s amazing.”

For example – one eco-relationship at risk at Grant Creek: an uncommon plant called French Grass (neither French nor a grass, admittedly) hosts a moth rare enough as to as yet have no scientific name. Saving its ecosystem from this invasive species means it may still be there for future generations to learn from.

This "French grass flower moth" is so rare it does not yet have a scientific name. Here it perches on its rare food plant, French grass (Orbexilum onobrychis). Good care can ensure that hundreds of endangered, rare, and uncommon plant and animal species survive.

A new stewards community needs many people. Do you already have herbicide or botany skills? If so, might you help lead? Indeed, everyone is invited to learn and lead as you choose. Grant Creek needs people of all experience levels and backgrounds. We're ready to start working, exploring, and planning on July 31st and August 8th. But even if the scheduled get-started dates don't work for you, you can help launch this. See Endnote. 

We can do it! This posse at Illinois Beach has invasive crown vetch on the run there. At Grant Creek there's also a little crown vetch, just getting started, and grim trefoil that thinks it has the run of the place. Let's rescue this rich nature from them both. 

The sign, like the prairie, could use some love. Might you want to make some of the difference? 

We can’t wait around for others to act: then it might be too late. We can do this, together! 

                  Initial training sessions, coupled with hands-on invasive treatment, are scheduled for:
                  -July 31, 5 pm – sunset
                  -Aug 8, 5 pm – sunset
                  More times will likely be scheduled soon.

Contact jonathan@friendsilnature.org to rsvp or get more details.
To offer or request a carpool, follow this link.

Endnote

The prairie is at its most beautiful in July and August, but it can be hot. We will train to use backpack sprayers to herbicide birdsfoot trefoil, but for some people that might be a challenging introduction to this work. If so, know this: the group will decide when and how often to work. Most groups work on weekend mornings as the days get shorter and cooler. Grant Creek needs brush cutters, seed gatherers, photographers, bakers of snacks, writers of social media posts, and so much more. A stewards community benefits from leaders and contributors of all stripes, working together. Some of us hope to plan a big kick-off event this fall. Questions? Please ask. 

Acknowledgements:

Grant Creek photos by Jo Sabath and Eriko Kojima.    

Trefoil photo courtesy of Missouri Invasive Plants Council, by Chris Evans.