Adams Wildlife Sanctuary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Margery Adams Wildlife Sanctuary |
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 Margery Adams Wildlife Sanctuary
Location in Illinois
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| Location | Springfield, Illinois |
| Area | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| Established | 1983 |
The Margery Adams Wildlife Sanctuary is a special place for nature, often called the Adams Wildlife Sanctuary. It's about 40 acres (16 hectares) big. The Illinois Audubon Society owns and takes care of this land. They manage its forests and tallgrass prairie to help many different kinds of wildlife live there. The sanctuary is named after Margery Adams, who gave the land to the society.
History of the Sanctuary
A small wooden house was built on this land in 1857. Later, in 1869, a man named L.B. Adams bought the house and about 28 acres (11 hectares) of land. This was the beginning of what is now the sanctuary.
The Adams family lived in the house. They used much of the land as a fruit orchard. The property stayed in the Adams family for many years. Eventually, it was passed down to Margery Adams (1897-1983). She was L.B. Adams's granddaughter.
Margery Adams lived on the property her whole life. She let the old fruit orchard slowly grow back into a second-growth forest. When she passed away in 1983, she left her home and land to the Illinois Audubon Society. She asked them to keep it as a private place for wildlife.
The Society worked to expand and update Adams's historic house in 2008. They made it into their main office and a meeting place. A generous gift added 12 more acres to the property. As of 2020, the Society is removing some unwanted plants. They are also working to restore the land. This helps it be an even better home for birds and other wildlife.
Nature and Wildlife
The wooded parts of the Wildlife Sanctuary have many types of trees. You can find cottonwood, hackberry, silver maple, shingle oak, and black walnut trees.
Experts who study birds have found 81 different kinds of birds here. This shows how important the sanctuary is for local wildlife. The sanctuary and its walking trails are free for everyone to visit.
The sanctuary is located at 2315 Clear Lake Avenue, Springfield, Illinois.
