WETLAND ENHANCEMENT
By JOE MURAWSKI, Trustee, Village of Lake in the Hills
Protecting the wetlands in Lake in the Hills and
environs is an important and continuing issue for the
Village. Lake in the Hills recognizes the aesthetics of
the wetland areas as well as the natural cleansing action and the educational aspects.
As part of the Village Subdivision Control
Ordinance, Town and Country Homes of Westchester
embarked upon a 10 acre wetland project that provides for a continuing preservation.
Wight Consulting Engineers, Inc. of Barrington
represented the Village in reviewing the design and inspecting the implementation of the wetlands project.
LaFayette Homes Nursery, Inc. of LaFayette, a 109
year old firm that has been a long time award winning
member of the Illinois Nursery Association, performed the proper wetlands planting.
LaFayette hand planted 2,660 native plants in 9
pods. Each pod is fenced for approximately two years
to establish a strong root system while protecting the
plants from water fowl, primarily Canadian geese. The
pods are placed at various water levels from shoreline
to three foot of depth and complement the shoreline
planting that is part of the wetlands preservation.
The wetland plants include:
Water Plantain (Alisma plantago)
Yellow pond lily (Nuphar advena)
White water lily (Nymphea tuberosa)
Sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus)
Dark green rush (Scirpus atrovirens)
Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Little bluestem grass (Andropogon scoparius)
This 10 acre project is part of a natural wetlands
area of 30 acres and in time the whole area will serve
the preservation of wetlands as well as nature walks
and the education which is part of this project.
Lake in the Hills has over 300 acres of wetlands
within its boundaries and carefully monitors all of the
areas to see that the wetland classification remains and
that these environmentally sensitive areas get the type
of attention necessary for their preservation.
August 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 13
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