Agencies
Services
Nature Preserve Area
2
County
McHenry
Location And Access
From jct. Hwy. 176 and Roberts Road in Island Lake (on the county line), go northwest 0.3 mi.on Hwy. 176. The nature preserve is southwest of the highway. Special Note: Access to this preserve is by permission only.
Description
Cotton Creek Marsh contains 247 acres of high quality wetland on the Fox River floodplain in the Northeastern Morainal Natural Division. Besides the marsh, the other natural communities present at Cotton Creek are sedge meadow, low gradient creek, wet prairie, fen and successional fields. The marsh constitutes the majority of the area and is the most attractive feature. Sedges, cattails, bulrushes, common burreed, sweet flag, water knotweed, and common arrowhead are dominant plants in this community. The marsh grades into sedge meadow where vegetation from both communities overlap. The sedge meadow is dominated by tussock sedge and blue-joint grass. Sandhill cranes regularly nest in this preserve.
Ownership
McHenry County Conservation District
Dedicated
September 1982
Size
249.069 acres
Topographic Quad
Wauconda
Topo Map
For Further Information
Contact: McHenry County Conservation District, 6512 Harts Road, Ringwood, IL 60072 (815/678-4431)
03/10 R. Heidorn