Prairie Wolf Slough facts for kids

The Prairie Wolf Slough, officially known as Prairie Wolf Forest Preserve, is a forest preserve in Deerfield, Illinois just north of Deerfield High School. The name refers to the Native American name of early Deerfield and Jefferson Park pioneer John Kinzie Clark which was nonimoa, or prairie wolf in English. The preserve is 431 acres (1.7 km²) and contains 2 miles (3 km) of trails. Since 1994, the slough has been routinely burned to allow for more native plants and animals to inhabit it and to prevent overgrowth. The land was purchased by the government in the 1970s and today is used by the nearby high school and surrounding corporate offices as a place to learn, play, exercise, and enjoy.