Agencies
Services
Land and Water Reserve Area
9
County
Jackson
Location
The site is in southwestern Jackson County, two miles west of Murphysboro, within Lake Murphysboro State Park and near the Illinois Ozarks Resource Rich Area.
Description
Lake Murphysboro Hill Prairies Land and Water Reserve is most noteworthy for its high-quality examples of glacial drift hill prairies and good quality upland forest communities that are being restored towards historical woodland conditions. There are five different community types found on site: glacial drift hill prairie, dry upland forest, dry-mesic upland forest, mesic floodplain forest, and wet-mesic floodplain forest. The site is included on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (Lake Murphysboro Hill Prairies INAI #0584) for its Grade A glacial drift hill prairies, which are the only known occurrence of this natural community in the Mt. Vernon Hill Country. These small hill prairie communities contain characteristic prairie vegetation, including a number of conservative forb species. The hill prairies are surrounded by Grade C dry upland forest and Grace C dry-mesic upland forest, primarily composed of white oak, black oak, and several hickory species, but also with components of post oak and southern red oak. These forested communities are being managed with prescribed fire and tree thinning to restore them to woodland conditions and to promote open woodland ground flora.
Ownership
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Natural Division
Mt. Vernon Hill Country Section of the Southern Till Plain Natural Division (#9b)
Registered
February 2005
Size
90 acres
Access
The site is open to the public.
Topographic Quad
Oraville
For Further Information
Visit 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
