Agencies
Services
Land and Water Reserve Area
6
County
Vermilion
Location
The site is in the northwest part of Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area approximately 11 miles northwest of Danville and 2 miles northeast of Collison.
Description
Kinney’s Ford Seep Land and Water Reserve is characterized by floodplain forest, steep forested slopes, and a level upland with its significant feature being a 3-acre, high-quality seep recognized by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI #1511). The seep occurs along the base of a north and west facing, steep, forested slope. It is in excellent condition with very high natural species diversity that includes 182 native plants. Wetland plants such as skunk cabbage, marsh marigold, swamp thistle, wild sweet William, swamp saxifrage, and black ash are common, as well as small trees and shrubs such as pussy willow, black willow, blue dogwood, and gray dogwood. The seep also provides important migratory habitat for hummingbirds and secure breeding sites for salamanders and frogs. Additional natural communities present include dry-mesic and mesic upland forest, wet-mesic floodplain forest, and successional field. Wet-mesic floodplain forest lies adjacent to the seep and is dominated by silver maple and green ash. North and west-facing slopes above seeps support mesic upland forests of sugar maple, red oak, and white ash, with scattered basswood and bur oak. The flat uplands support black oak, shagbark oak, shagbark and bitternut hickory, and shingle oak with black cherry, elm, sugar maple, and hawthorn in the understory. The successional field supports widely scattered patches of native prairie and savanna species.
Ownership
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Natural Division
Vermilion River Section of the Wabash Border Natural Division (#10c)
Registered
May 2003
Size
37 acres
Access
The site is open to the public for bird watching, nature observation, and hiking. There is a small gravel parking lot just off the gravel township road along the south boundary.
Topographic Quad
Collison
For Further Information
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702
217-785-8686
DNR.INPC@illinois.gov