Agencies
Services
Land and Water Reserve Area
1
County
Jo Daviess
Location
The site is in the southwestern part of Jo Daviess County, about 1 mile southwest of the town of Hanover, on the south side of Hanover Hill Road. It is in proximity to other protected INPC sites including Wapello Land and Water Reserve, Eagles Nest Land and Water Reserve, Hanover Forest Land and Water Reserve, and Hanover Bluff Nature Preserve.
Description
Hanover Bluff Land and Water Reserve lies within the northeast corner of the Hanover Bluff Illinois Natural Areas Inventory site (INAI #1058) and a small portion along the eastern edge lies within the west-central part of the Apple River INAI site (INAI #1647). The Lower Apple River INAI site was designated for providing biologically significant stream habitat for three state listed mussel species and the Hanover Bluff INAI site qualifies due to its high-quality sand hill prairie and dolomite hill prairie and the presence of state-endangered and threatened species. Hanover Bluff Land and Water Reserve consists of dry-mesic upland forest, mesic upland forest, wet-mesic floodplain forest, and low gradient stream. The dry-mesic upland forests are dominated by white oak, black oak, shagbark hickory, and eastern red cedar. The mesic upland forest communities are dominated by red oak, white oak, pignut hickory, sugar maple, basswood, hackberry, black walnut, paper birch, large-toothed aspen, and black cherry. A narrow band of wet-mesic floodplain forest is found along the western border of the Apple River and is characterized by eastern cottonwood, boxelder, silver maple, green ash, black walnut, and hackberry. A variety of wetland communities persist within the bottomlands along the Apple River. At theses locations, the Apple River is considered a low-gradient stream and possesses a high diversity mussel bed.
Ownership
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Natural Division
Wisconsin Driftless Natural Division (#1)
Registered
October 2004
Size
188 acres
Access
The site is open to the public. It is accessed via a gravel parking lot located off Hanover Hill Road on the north end of the property.
Topographic Quad
Green Island
For Further Information
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702
217-785-8686
DNR.INPC@illinois.gov