A savana in an area being restored at Dellwood Park West,
owned by the Lockport Township Park District. Photo courtesy of Corlands.

"Your investment in planning will pay off in dividends with a successful restoration."

22 Illinois Parks and Recreation

By Nancy L. Kaszak

Before Getting Their Feet Wet, Park Districts Should Test the Waters

Wetland restoration is gaining prominence. Whether for ecological, storm water management, programmatic or aesthetic reasons, park districts are starting to "get their feet wet" in wetland restoration. And the benefits are many.

Before launching into a wetland restoration project, however, invest time into assessing and planning. Start by answering a few key questions. Some are best addressed with the help of a wetland consultant; others call for reflection and a clear look at your park district's capabilities. Your investment in planning will pay off in dividends with a successful restoration. Here are some things to consider.

What is the condition of the site? The complexity, expense, time commitment and potential of a wetland restoration depends on the existing condition of the site. Is it an old farm field that has been cultivated for decades? Or has it been left virtually untouched? Are any native plants or unique wildlife present? If so, which ones? If the site contains remnants of wetland plant communities, you will have more of a foundation to start with than if it has been completely altered.

Sometimes the existing conditions within a site vary. Consider Dellwood Park West, a property of the Lockport Township Park District. It encompasses about 176 acres, roughly 75 of which are undergoing restoration. The northern portion of the restoration area is an Illinois Natural Areas Inventory Site, one of the highest quality natural areas of its kind in the state. The southern section consists of two agricultural fields that were farmed for many years. Understanding these differences has been critical to the park district's restoration planning.

What is the site's hydrology? Water - above and below ground - is a fundamental and necessary part of any wetland. As a result, assessing the area's hydrology is key. This involves looking at how water enters and leaves the site, and where the site's water sources are. A hydrological assessment will determine if there are subsurface drain tiles, which are pipes that have been installed to remove water from the site, or if drainage ditches are present. These measures have often been

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A savana in an area being restored at Dellwood Park West,
owned by the Lockport Township Park District. Photo courtesy of Conservation Design Forum.

used in the Midwest to change the hydrology of land for agricultural purposes. While they have helped maximize productivity in farming, they are impediments to wetland restoration and will likely need to be modified or abandoned.

Also impacting the site's hydrology is the type of land use adjacent to the site. Is there a housing development next door, or is one planned? How about a shopping mall? Any nearby development that alters surface runoff onto your site will affect the type of wetland restoration possible. Alternately, if the adjacent land is open space, and the park district is in a position to protect it in some way — whether by buying it, accepting a land donation or placing a conservation easement on it — the land can serve as an important buffer to help maintain or restore the wetland hydrology.

What level of maintenance will the wetland require? And can you provide it? Particularly in the early stages, a wetland restoration requires regular attention. It needs monitoring to gauge the status of native plants that are being established and to watch for invasive species, which compete with desired wetland plants. It requires removal of invasive plants, whether by cutting or pulling them, or by applying herbicides. The area also needs to be burned regularly, a natural process that helps native plants become established while helping to eliminate those that are incompatible with the restoration.

Some park districts have herbicide sprayers and employees certified to apply herbicides that are already devoted to golf course or other maintenance. Staff may even be doing prescribed burns of native areas. It is possible that employees and pieces of equipment used elsewhere by the park district may also be assigned to maintain a wetland restoration. More often than not, though, park districts embarking on wetland restoration for the first time hire consultants for monitoring and maintenance.

Do you have the staff capabilities to manage a corps of volunteers? Another option for caring for the restoration site is to draw on volunteers. They may be able to help monitor and manage the wetland's flora and fauna, and assist with education programs. However, you need the staff and a system for managing such volunteers. If you already have employees managing volunteers for other park programs, you probably have the necessary framework in place, and you may be able to apply it to your restoration project.

What are the park district's goals for the project? Armed with information about the overall site condition and hydrology and assessments of your staffing and maintenance capabilities, you can set realistic goals for your wetland restoration. Sites with remnants of native plant communities and wetland-conducive hydrology can be good candidates for restoring a high-quality,

24 Illinois Parks and Recreation

ecologically diverse wetland. Areas that have been cultivated for an extended period and whose hydrology has been compromised are candidates for less intensive — though worthy — restoration and management plans.

For instance, if you have an old farm field next to a subdivision, it might not be realistic to strive for a high-quality, ecologically diverse wetland on the site. You may, however, be able to establish native plant communities that create valuable wildlife habitat, provide significant storm water advantages and offer an aesthetic resource. Alternately, if a site features a host of native plants, and stable or easily restored hydrology, your goals can also focus on creating a more ecologically diverse wetland.

The more you base your goals on the site conditions and capabilities, the more cost-effective and satisfying your restoration project will be.

Tailoring Your Goals

Lockport Township's Dellwood Park West is an example of tailoring restoration goals to specific site conditions. According to the park district's executive director. Sue Micklevitz, the priority for the northern, or Natural Areas Inventory, section is to manage for high plant diversity and quality. The southern portion of the park's restoration area, which has been farmed, will initially be restored to a more basic native plant community, and will feature trails and interpretive kiosks. Ms. Micklevitz adds that maintenance of the southern section of the restoration area includes monitoring for invasive species. "We don't want plants from the southern section to invade the northern portion," she says. Passive recreation will take place in a section of the park adjacent to the southern restoration area and will include a picnic pavilion, restrooms, and a fishing area.

In addition to considering the quality of the wetland envisioned for the site, you may want to think about programmatic and community outreach goals. Does your park district want to use the site as a place for environmental interpretation and programs? If so, to what extent? Will it use the ongoing restoration process as an opportunity to inform people about ecological systems?

Lastly, will you want to use the wetland restoration as a way to broaden your programmatic outreach, and involve more residents in park district activities? Fostering volunteer stewards for the wetland can be a way to accomplish that goal.

Be sure to seek public input into your goals before you finalize them, because a wetland restoration can take several years, require a financial investment, and include activities like burning and tree and shrub removal. You need to know that your constituents think the project is a good idea. It is important to foster a base of support and understanding of the project before you get too far along in your planning.

What to Expect

What should you expect when the restoration begins? Be prepared for upfront activity and expense. The first priorities will be to restore the hydrology and eliminate invasive species, which could entail removing mature trees and/or shrubs. Most of all, expect to exercise patience. It can take several years for native plant communities to become established, and for the signs of an evolving landscape to become readily apparent.

"It is important to foster a base of support and understanding of the project before you get too far along in your planning."

Park districts considering wetland restoration have a number of sources available to them at little or no cost. If your park district is in a county that has a forest preserve or conservation district, you may have access to those professionals for advice. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission can also be of assistance. The Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park & Recreation Association may be able to direct you to other park districts involved in wetland restoration who can share their insights. Hydrologic questions can be answered by your local Soil and Water Conservation District. The nonprofit CorLands is also a resource; it is currently involved in more than 20 wetland restorations in northeastern Illinois.

Gather information. Set realistic goals. Be patient. And enjoy a successful wetland restoration.

Nancy L. Koszak is executive director of CorLands, a nonprofit organization that helps protect and acquire land for parks, trails and natural-area conservation. It is one of few nonprofit entities that can be hired to oversee restoration projects. Through partnerships with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District and land managers, CorLands is helping to preserve, restore and enhance more than 2,000 acres of wetlands. For more information, contact Nancy Kaszak, 312-427-4256 ext. 238 or nkcaszok@corlonds.org.

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