Agencies
Services
Land and Water Reserve Area
3
County
Iroquois
Location
The site is in the far northeastern corner of Iroquois County, approximately 60 miles south of Chicago, and 15 miles southeast of the City of Kankakee. The reserve is a key conservation holding within the Pembroke Savannas. The Pembroke Savannas are a subset of the larger region referred to as the Kankakee Sands, which lies south of the Kankakee River and encompasses regions within Grundy, Will, Kankakee, and Iroquois County.
Description
Iroquois Sands Land and Water Reserve is comprised of dry-mesic sand savanna, sand flatwoods, sand prairie, and old field. The dry-mesic sand savanna is a Grade C community dominated by black oak. Former agricultural fields are a large component of the site, and most of this acreage has succeeded with little active management efforts to Grade C prairie/sedge meadow after being left fallow for many years. Lesser disturbed, Grade C sand flatwoods community also occurs on site, and is characterized by the presence of black gum along with pin oak, winterberry, and royal fern. The natural communities at Iroquois Sands provide habitat for state-threatened and state-endangered species as well as many other wildlife Species in Greatest Need of Conservation. The USFWS-owned portion of this site is known as the Kolar Unit of the Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area.
Ownership
US Fish & Wildlife Service and Friends of the Kankakee
Natural Division
Kankakee Sand Area Section of the Grand Prairie Natural Division (#4e)
Registered
November 2006
Size
73 acres
Access
The site is open to the public for passive uses such as hiking, bird watching, and nature observation. There is a parking lot available on the west side of the reserve.
Topographic Quad
Leesville
For Further Information
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702
217-785-8686
DNR.INPC@illinois.gov