The Old Plank Road Prairies - a quick peek at an ongoing drama

Seventeen miles long – planned as a "plank road" across the prairie, becoming a railroad for a century, now a bike and hiking trail. Over all that time, a few patches of original black-soil prairie survived here – within the fenced right-of-way – nowhere else over hundreds of square miles.

When surveyed in the 1970s, the Old Plank Road Prairie Nature Preserves were some of the best black-soil prairies in The Prairie State. The easternmost two miles are owned by the Village of Matteson and Rich Township. Finding nearby owners to care for them was crucial to the Openlands' campaign to save them when the railroad was abandoned. It worked, but the local ownership agencies had neither the expertise nor resources needed to provide all the care needed for fragile ecosystems.

For a time, trained volunteers managed them well. But the original staff partnerships that recruited, trained, and supported the volunteers gradually shifted to other focuses, volunteers drifted away, and the prairies spent decades with declining stewardship. Thus, without burns or invasive control, overgrowth by crown vetch, teasel, and brush badly degraded and, in some areas, completely eliminated the prairie.

Coming to the rescue in 2010 were the Orland Grassland Volunteers, working twice a month all year round in cooperation with Nature Preserves staffer Kim Roman and (now) Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves board member Stephen Packard. Much progress has been made, but much more work is needed. This November, Friends and Orland volunteer Bill Fath organized the first burn in two years, with staff help from The Nature Conservancy. Are you possibly interested in prairies? Do you live in the south suburbs? Might you be interested in learning more about - and possibly learn to help care for these gems? If you’re interested, contact the Friends or the Orland Grassland Volunteers. 

Also, so much more of this is needed at hundreds of sites, so please check out the Friends' first "Annual Report" (and make a year-end donation, if you can) at Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves. (We need more burn gear, for example.)
 

For more details about the Old Plank Road Prairies, also check out:

https://woodsandprairie.blogspot.com/2018/04/in-line-of-prairie-fire.html

 

 

Four Plank Road Burn photos below:

 

It starts with a plan.

At the beginning of every burn, Bill Fath briefs the trained volunteer crew.

Fail safe - on a windy day

The fire starts slowly in this area.
Wind is strong from the left, and we don't want a flare-up to send sparks across the street.
We took great care to be good neighbors. 

Fire looks impressive here, but it’s all controlled. 

In this case, the 33-foot-wide strip of prairie burned ferociously.
But the land behind it was a non-flammable plowed dirt field.
Still, Bill stationed people out there to watch. 

Progress over time.

In this 2018 photo, only two of us wear fire-protective Nomex clothes.
This year, Christos Economou from the Friends rounded up a good deal more and better
fire tools and gear. (Check back to first photo.)

We, the Friends, need more and better fire tools and protective clothing for all parts of the state ... and more staff help for recruiting, training, permits, and troubleshooting. If you would consider donating, check out the Friends' first Annual Report: click here. (If you give in December 2020, two matching grants would double your donation.)

 

Thanks for proofing and edits to Eriko Kojima