Gensburg-Markham Prairie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gensburg-Markham Prairie |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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 Gensburg-Markham Prairie
Location in Illinois
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| Location | Cook County, Illinois, USA |
| Nearest city | Markham |
| Area | 100 acres (40 ha) |
| Established | 1971 |
| Governing body | Northeastern Illinois University, the Natural Land Institute, and the Nature Conservancy |
| Designated: | 1987 |
The Gensburg-Markham Prairie, also called Markham Prairie, is a special natural area. It's a 105.6-acre (427,000 m2) tallgrass prairie located in Markham, near Chicago. This prairie is part of a bigger area called the Indian Boundary Prairies. Northeastern Illinois University and The Nature Conservancy help manage it. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says it's a unique example of a "sandy loam prairie." It's so important that it's been named a National Natural Landmark.
Contents
What is a Prairie?
A prairie is a large area of flat or gently rolling land. It is covered mostly by grasses and wildflowers, not many trees. Prairies are very important ecosystems. They provide homes for many different plants and animals.
How the Gensburg-Markham Prairie Formed
The Gensburg-Markham Prairie started forming a very long time ago. This was during the end of the Wisconsin glaciation, an ice age. A huge ancient lake, called Lake Chicago, left behind a lot of sand. This sand created the ground where the prairie now grows.
The soil here is sandy and often wet. This made it hard for early settlers to farm the land. Because of this, many patches of the original tallgrass prairie were left untouched. This helped the prairie survive for a long time.
The Prairie's Story
Over time, much of the prairie land became part of Markham, a town south of Chicago. Usually, when land is added to a town, it means buildings will be built there. However, the wet, sandy soil of this prairie wasn't great for building.
Also, after World War II, Markham grew slowly. This meant less pressure to build on the prairie. Finally, in 1971, a family named Gensburg owned a big part of the prairie. They generously gave 60-acre (240,000 m2) of their land to Northeastern Illinois University. The prairie's name, Gensburg-Markham Prairie, honors this important gift.
Bringing the Prairie Back to Life
By 1971, when it was donated, the Gensburg-Markham Prairie was in trouble. Many invasive exotic plants had moved in. These plants were not native to the prairie and were harming the original plants.
For many years, people have worked hard to restore the prairie. Robert Betz from Northeastern Illinois University started this work. They cleared away harmful brush and allowed the native tallgrass plants to grow back. A key tool in this work has been controlled burns. These are fires set on purpose to help the prairie. They remove unwanted plants and help native seeds sprout.
In September 1980, the prairie was officially named an Illinois Nature Preserve. This helps protect it even more.
Today's Prairie Life
Today, more than 100 acres (0.40 km2) of the prairie are considered high-quality tallgrass prairie. Northeastern Illinois University owns most of this land. The Nature Conservancy owns a few smaller parts. The university continues to manage and protect this special place.
Many animals that live in tallgrass prairies can be found here. For example, the Henslow's sparrow, a special bird, has been seen at the prairie.
