List of protected areas of Illinois explained

Illinois has a variety of protected areas, including over 123 state-protected areas, dozens of federally protected areas, hundreds of county-level and municipal park areas. Illinois also contains sites designated as internationally important protected areas. These multiple levels of protection contribute to a statewide network of numerous recreation opportunities and conservation schemes, sometimes in a small area. For example, DeKalb County contains a 1000acres forest preserve system and a 1500acres state park (Shabbona Lake State Park); within DeKalb County, the DeKalb Park District in the City of DeKalb has a 700acres park system.[1]

State protected areas

Illinois state-owned protected areas include state parks, state forests, state recreation areas, state fish and wildlife areas, state natural areas, and one state trail. These areas are all administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In addition, dozens of state historic sites are administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Division.[2]

State historic sites

State historic sites are typically protected for their historic and cultural importance but may include a nature preservation component, such as at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and Lincoln's New Salem. For a list, see Illinois Historic Preservation Division.

State parks

State parks are owned by the state and generally administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.[3] Specifically, “State Park” refers to sites “exhibiting exceptional scenic and natural features and terrain” and that “offer a wide range of recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy”.[4]

Name  County  Area (acres) Area (km2)  Estab-
lished  		Bodies of water  Image  Remarks  
Lake4160acres 1948
Jo Daviess297acres 1932
McDonough1700acres 1948
Wabash635acres 1966
Macoupin750acres 1947
LaSalle298acres November 15, 1928
Ogle2000acres 1921
Hardin204acres 1929
McHenry1700acres 1945
Will20.5acres 1932
Henderson89acres 1960
Pope801acres 1946
Putnam3015acres 1982
Johnson2430acres 1949
Massac1450acres 1908
Coles2064acres 1930s
Grundy30acres 1934
Jackson, Union1100acres 1927
60314acres 1970 104.5miles linear park (W To Moline then N to Rock Falls vic.)
Madison2960acres ?
LaSalle510acres 1934
DuPage, Kane3432acres 1991
Henry1365acres ?
Peoria3200acres 1933 Jubilee Creek
Kankakee, Will4000acres 1938
Stephenson715acres 1948
Jackson1022acres 1948
Clark1023acres 1958
Ogle207acres 1945
LaSalle1700acres 1943
Carroll2500acres 1973
McHenry2200acres 1939
Whiteside1164acres 1971
Hancock148acres ?
Jersey8050acres 1931
Lawrence967acres 1953
Winnebago3092acres 1957
1989 None 26miles public rail trail.
DeKalb1550acres 1978
Adams, Brown3323acres 1940
Clinton26000acres ?
LaSalle2630acres 1911
Douglas671acres 1968
Schuyler772acres 1968 ?
Shelby23500acres 1968

State fish and wildlife areas

Areas whose primary purpose is to “reserve land and water areas for production and conservation of fish or wildlife and to provide hunting, fishing, trapping, observation, and other forms of compatible recreational use.”[4]

Name  County  Area (acres) Area (km2)  Estab-
lished  		Bodies of water  Image  Remarks  
Fulton2247acres 1947
Randolph2018acres ?
Fulton4363acres 1980s[5]
Alexander1380acres ?
Fayette37000acres 1966
Montgomery297acres 1966
Crawford1129acres ?
Will5000acres 1948
Alexander, Union2741acres ?
Fulton1961acres 2001
Logan974acres 1971
Lee2565acres 1940
Hamilton1683acres 1962
Grundy1300acres ?
Alexander10200acres ?
Iroquois2480acres 1944 None Occupies the edge of the former Glacial Lake Watseka.
Cass16550acres June 1993
St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph20000acres ?
Jackson11750acres 1968
DeKalb570acres 2002
LaSalle2058acres ?
Tazewell1448acres 1970
Marshall6000acres 1925
Bureau911acres ? 15 lakes
Grundy1017acres 1981
Massac2630acres 1949
Vermilion2700acres 1986
Jersey, Calhoun24386acres ?
Jasper1775acres 1979
Randolph2200acres ? 20 lakes
Tazewell1181acres ? Pekin Lake, Worley Lake
Tazewell1426acres September 18, 1984[6] [7] [8] Powerton Lake
Pike1140acres 1970
Franklin, Jefferson38900acres ?
Fulton5660acres 1945
Saline1270acres 1959 Glen O. Jones Lake
Wayne1302acres 1959
Jasper1180acres 1960
Cass, Schuyler, Mason10360acres 1948
Moultrie6200acres ?
Kendall1350acres 1969
Knox2500acres 1987
Tazewell2032acres 1950
Hamilton, Jefferson6000acres 1988
Randolph2264acres ?
Union6202acres 1940s
Woodford2900acres

State recreation areas

Name  County  Area (acres) Area (km2)  Estab-
lished  		Bodies of water  Image  Remarks  
DeWitt9300acres 1978
Shelby11100acres May 1963
Clinton3000acres ?
St. Clair1080acres 1964
Pope274acres ?
Vermilion2842acres 1939
McLean1687acres 1959
Whiteside53acres 1947
Perry19701acres 1968 Super Lake
Fayette1980acres ?
Randolph1101acres 1958
Christian, Sangamon3022acres 1964
Marion3103acres 1959
Washington900acres 1959
Franklin, Jefferson3300acres 1975
DeWitt550acres 1948

State natural areas

Areas of land which “either retains or has recovered to a substantial degree its original natural or primeval character, though it need not be completely undisturbed, or has floral, faunal, ecological, geological or archaeological features of scientific, educational, scenic or esthetic interest.”[4]

Name  County  Area (acres) Area (km2)  Estab-
lished  		Bodies of water  Image  Remarks  
Johnson14314acres 1970
Lee882acres 1982
Monroe997acres 1970
Grundy2537acres 1969
Vermilion1104acres ?
Monroe120acres 1985 None 9.6 km of the park are passages underground.
LaSalle184acres 1997
Jackson, Randolph198acres 1972
Jasper, Marion4101acres
Johnson385acres 1998
Macon202.5acres 1937
Lake1150acres 1970

Other state protected areas

Name  County  Area (acres) Area (km2)  Estab-
lished  		Bodies of water  Image  Remarks  
Henderson2900acres 1925
Bohm Woods Nature Preserve[9] Madison92acres November 2006[10]
Shelby1200acres 1960
Madison2002 None
Lake297acres ?
Mason7200acres 1939 None
Union5114acres 1929
None 45miles Trail.
Peoria1700acres 2000

Federally protected areas

Illinois contains one national forest, the Shawnee National Forest, one national grassland, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and several other sites administered by the National Park Service, including portions of National Trails. There are also National Wildlife Refuges.

National Forest Service Areas

U.S. Wilderness Areas

The following U.S. Wilderness areas are located within the Shawnee National Forest and are administered by the U.S. Forest Service:

Crab Orchard Wilderness is located within Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Areas

National Park Service

The National Park Service operates the federally owned Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, the Pullman National Historical Park in Chicago, and the New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Pike County in rural western Illinois. The Chicago Portage National Historic Site is a National Park Service-affiliated site which is located in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. In addition, the National Park Service partners with the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Internationally recognized protected areas

One UNESCO World Heritage Site in Illinois, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, is protected and listed as a state-owned historic site. Two of the eight World Heritage Site structures exemplifying the 20th-Century architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright are also located in Illinois: Unity Temple and the Robie House, and are protected by local and federal schemes.

In addition to cultural sites, Illinois contains five wetland areas designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention:[11]

Local level parks

A variety of county and town protected areas exist in Illinois, including city park districts and county-wide Forest Preserve or Conservation Districts, as well as land owned by private conservation organizations. One of the largest systems is the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, which includes Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Garden as well as 70000acres of open land, or 11.6 percent of Cook County's land area. Under Illinois law, counties may set up a conservation land holding district, after approval by county voters. Although most of the 102 counties have not established such a public landholding agency, below are the approved county districts:

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: DeKalb Park District . 2023-07-10 . DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau . en-US.
  2. Web site: State Historic Sites . 2023-07-11 . dnrhistoric.illinois.gov . en.
  3. Web site: State Parks & Outdoor Recreation . 11 July 2023 . Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
  4. Web site: State Parks Designation Act . Illinois General Assembly . 24 March 2024.
  5. Web site: About Banner Marsh SFWA . 2023-10-21 . dnr.illinois.gov . en.
  6. News: 1984-09-13 . Public fishing available . 15 . Lemont Metropolitan . 2023-10-19.
  7. News: Hogan . John . 1985-08-25 . The fishing is great on Edison Lakes . 12 . The Life . 2023-10-19.
  8. News: McNally . Tom . 1984-05-30 . New lake near Pekin ready soon . 48 . Chicago Tribune . 2023-10-19.
  9. Web site: Bohm Woods Nature Preserve . Illinois Department of Natural Resources . 25 January 2024.
  10. Web site: Bohm Woods State Nature Preserve . Heartlands Consevancy . 21 January 2022.
  11. Web site: The Annotated Ramsar List: United States of America . 13 February 2020 . Ramsar.org.

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