The Wetlands Initiative has been part of creating a new 10-year plan for restoration at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, which the National Forest Foundation unveiled in October.
The plan outlines a shared vision for transforming Midewin from a defunct Army ammunition plant back to a 20,000-acre natural landscape and regional wonder. It includes an accelerated pace of restoration, reintroduction of bison, two new outdoor learning centers, and removal of more of the Army infrastructure.
At the October media event announcing the plan, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) also officially designated Midewin as a national "Treasured Landscape" under their Conservation Campaign. Below is a YouTube video by NFF on Midewin's story and the plan.
Paul Botts, TWI executive director, and Gary Sullivan, TWI senior ecologist, participated in the collaborative process to develop the 10-year plan. It calls on public and private partners to come together to bring back this critical example of our natural heritage. An overview of the plan is available as a PDF here.
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is the former site of the Joliet Army Arsenal, one of the largest ammunition plants in the country during World War II. Now, the Forest Service is overseeing its long-term management and restoration. Since 1999, the Wetlands Initiative has been the Forest Service's primary on-the-ground restoration partner at Midewin. To date, TWI has completed restoration on more than 1,000 acres of Midewin, helping to recover a landscape of diverse wetlands and prairie.
The Wetlands Initiative is dedicated to restoring the wetland resources of the Midwest to improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat and biodiversity, and reduce flood damage.
