Agencies
Services
Nature Preserve Area
2
County
Lake
Location And Access
From Wauconda at jct. Hwy. 176 & Rand Road, take Rand Road southeast 0.5 mile. The nature preserve is east of Rand Road. Special Note: There is no developed access to this preserve so please contact the Lake County Forest Preserve District before entering the site. Visitors should be aware of the poison sumac, and of the wet, unstable nature of the soil. Walking through the preserve can be difficult and can cause damage to natural conditions.
Description
Wauconda Bog contains tamarack bog and marsh communities characteristic of the Morainal Section of the Northeastern Morainal Natural Division. It is a mature bog that contains no open water. It serves as a refuge for over 100 different plants, including rare and relict species such as tamarack, orchids, yellow birch, winterberry holly and poison sumac. On areas where drier peat occurs, tamarack forest with sphagnum tussocks are found. Wetter areas support a rich marsh community dominated by cattail or common reed. The preserve has long attracted birdwatchers and educators, but the bog is especially valuable to botanists because it is a source of relict pollen, preserved in layers of peat, which provides information on plant migration after the retreat of the glaciers. These unique features resulted in the bog's designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1974.
Ownership
Lake County Forest Preserve District, Albert and Teresa Tyde, Debbie Marlewski, and James and Delores Mullaney
Dedicated
June 1970
Size
70.9acres with buffer
Topographic Quad
Wauconda
Topo Map
For Further Information
Contact: Lake County Forest Preserve District, 2000 North Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville, IL 60048 (708/367-6640)
1/2009 - R. Heidorn