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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING THE DEDICATION OF JENS JENSEN GRASSLAND AND WOODLAND AS AN ILLINOIS LAND AND WATER RESERVE BY THE ILLINOIS NATURE PRESERVES COMMISSION
WHEREAS, on January 24th, 2017, at the 225th meeting of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Jens Jensen Grassland and Woodland was approved for dedication as an Illinois Land and Water Reserve; and
WHEREAS, dedication of a site as an Illinois Land and Water Reserve provides a high level of protection for land in Illinois, and is granted only to natural areas of regional and state-wide ecological significance; and
WHEREAS, Jens Jensen Grassland and Woodland Land and Water Reserve is an approximately 220 acre, high quality portion of the larger Jens Jensen preserve also known as Deer Grove East located in the Village of Palatine in northwest Cook County. The site consists of remnant mesic woodlands and sedge meadows, along with reconstructed prairie and wetlands supporting 398 species of native plants and 25 bird species recognized as species in greatest need of conservation; and
WHEREAS, the namesake for this designation is Jens Jensen, a devout conservationist who was instrumental in the creation of the Forest Preserves of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, extensive restoration has been underway at the site since 2007 in partnership with Openlands as a part of an O'Hare Modernization Mitigation Account project, which provides mitigation of off-site wetland impacts resulting from the O'Hare Modernization Program; and
WHEREAS, this large-scale habitat restoration initiative was undertaken in conjunction and in cooperation with the Chicago District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Chicago Department of Aviation; and
WHEREAS, restoration efforts have focused on restoring hydrology in degraded wetlands and adjacent uplands, as well as the removal of invasive brush and vegetation impacting the site via prescribed fire and reintroduction of native plants; and
WHEREAS, storm wate...
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