Wolf Road Prairie

Amongst a network of strip malls, highways, and fast food joints just outside Chicago, you will find the Wolf Road Prairie. Back in the 1920s, half of the 80-acre lot at the intersection of Wolf Road and 31st Street in Westchester, Illinois had been slated for housing development.

The prairie had been divided into nearly 600 lots for housing and commercial development. Lots were sold and developers went so far as to lay down concrete sidewalks in the southern end of the preserve. But when the Great Depression hit in 1929, and the development was abandoned. All that remained were the sidewalks.

The prairie bounced back and survived another development threat in the 1970s when a section was bought by a group called Save The Prairie Society. Along with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Salt Creek Greenway Association, and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission manage the site, which has grown to 82 acres.

The Wolf Road Prairie is a unique mix of three ecosystems: prairie, wetlands, and savanna. The rare black soil prairie is home to over 360 native plant species. More than 140 species of birds use it as a migratory stopover.  In early spring, birdwatchers gather to watch woodcock do their amazing mating flights. The sidewalks that remain have been turned into pathways allowing visitors to navigate the prairie while serving as a stark reminder of how close the prairie came to being wiped out.