Agencies
Services
Land and Water Reserve Area
4
County
Hancock
Location
The site is in south-central Hancock County, one mile north of West Point and 11 miles south of Carthage. It is a satellite of Weinberg-King State Park.
Description
Geissler Savanna Land and Water Reserve (also known as Samuel Barnum Mead Savanna Nature Preserve) contains 9 acres of high quality, Grade B mesic and dry-mesic savanna recognized by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory. The remaining acres consist of seeded prairies and successional fields. The site is one of the largest intact savannas of its type in Illinois. Several drainageways run from east to west draining the rainwater run-off from the rolling savanna hills. The savanna is dominated by swamp white oak along the drainage ways and shingle oak and post oak on the upland. More than 100 native plants species have been identified within the savanna, including four state threatened species and native vegetation representative of the Galesburg Section of the Western Forest-Prairie Natural Division including leadplant, Canadian milkvetch, white wild indigo, shooting star, downy gentian, blue-eyed grass, purple milkweed, wild hyacinth, and hazelnut.
Ownership
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Natural Division
Galesburg Section of the Western Forest-Prairie Natural Division (#7a)
Registered
February 2003
Size
37 acres
Access
The site is open to the public. It is accessible from the west border along Country Road 1700 East. There is a mowed fire break along the south border where one can pull in to park to get off CR 1700 E.
Topographic Quad
West Point
For Further Information
Visit the State Park Website or Contact the INPC
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702
217-785-8686
DNR.INPC@illinois.gov