Agencies
Services
Nature Preserve Area
3
County
Cook
Location And Access
The site is in Thornton Township within the municipalities of Chicago and Burnham. It is just west of the Indiana state line within the Chicago Lake Plain Section of the Northeastern Morainal Natural Division of Illinois. To access the site, from the Torrence Avenue exit on I-80 in Lansing take Torrence Ave north to 159th St. Take 159th St east to Burnham Ave and Burnham Ave north to Brainard Ave. Travel east on Brainard Ave to the Powderhorn Lake parking lot, marked with a sign, on the north side of the road.
Description
Powderhorn Prairie and Marsh Nature Preserve is a fine example of the sand ridge and swale topography that was once common throughout the Calumet Region. The site encompasses nearly all the Powderhorn Lake and Prairie Illinois Natural Areas Inventory site (INAI site #1071). There are remnants of six dunes and five swales on the preserve created as water levels of Lake Chicago gradually receded. The site has a much lower density of trees than most dune-and-swale remnants in the region, and some portions are classified as prairie. The low sandy dune ridges support sand prairies and black oak savannas while sedge meadow, shrub carr, and marsh communities occur in the swales. The dune and swale topography provides a variety of ecological niches that support a rich diversity of plants.
Ownership
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Dedicated
September 2007
Size
125 Acres
Topographic Quad
Lake Calumet
For Further Information
Visit the Forest Preserve District of Cook County Website or Contact the INPC
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702
217-785-8686