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ICO009
Spring Creek Forest Preserve
- Location:
- Barrington Township T42N, R9E, Sec. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 28, 29, 30, 32
Size: 3825 acres
- Natural Resources
- Communities:
- Dry gravel prairie (B,C)
- Loamy dry mesic woodland (C)
- Loamy mesic and wet prairie (C)
- Sedge meadow (B,C)
- Graminoid fen (B,C)
- Basin marsh (B,C)
- Streamside marsh (B,C)
- Flow-through lake (C)
- Rare Plants:
- none
- Rare Animals:
- Chlidonias niger/Blacktern (E)
- Ixobrychus exilis/Least bittern (E)
- Rallus elegans/King rail (E)
- Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus/Yellow-headed blackbird (E)
- Grus canadensis/Sandhill crane (T)
- Podilymbus podiceps/Pied-billed grebe (T)
- Elliptio dilatata/Spike (T)
- Sorex hoyi/Pigmy shrew (W-SU)
- Gallinago gallinago/Common snipe (W-SC)
- Dolichonyx oryzivorus/Bobolink (W-SC)
- Porzana carolina/Sora (W-SU)
- Rallus limicola/Virginia rail (W-SU)
- Vermivora chrysoptera/Golden winged warbler (W-SU)
Other Significant Features:
- High potential for large grassland/wetland/woodland ecosystem restoration
- Moderate quality prairie stream
Protection Status:
- Protected by Cook County Forest Preserve District (includes 560-acre nature preserve).
Management Problems:
- Brush encroachment
- Purple loosestrife, hybrid cattail, reed canary grass, garlic mustard and common reed
- Carp
- Turbidity in lakes
- Road salt
- Siltation
- Beginner’s pondweed
- Water table alteration (probable old tile drainage systems).
