New exhibition explores restoration of Lake County Forest Preserves

LIBERTYVILLE – “Managing Healthy Landscapes” opens Feb. 10 at the Dunn Museum, 1899 W. Winchester Road in Libertyville.

The special exhibition runs through April 7 at the nationally accredited museum.

Since 1958, the Lake County Forest Preserves has served as the principal guardian of open spaces and natural areas in Lake County. It is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of local landscapes.

“This exhibition vividly showcases our many extensive projects and initiatives that have significantly enhanced the forest preserves in the county,” Director of Education Alyssa Firkus said in a news release.

“We restore your lands to make them more beautiful and welcoming to visitors,” said Angelo Kyle, president of the Lake County Forest Preserves. “But our work is about so much more. Whether you step foot in them or not, we are committed to ensuring your forest preserves function at their highest ecological level to support the quality of life we all enjoy in Lake County.”

Projects and initiatives in the special exhibition include:

• The transformation of an impaired, human-made lake to a healthy, meandering stream at Ethel’s Woods Forest Preserve in Antioch.

• Buckthorn, the bully of the forest, and effective methods for eliminating the invasive species.

• Prescribed burns are an efficient and cost-effective land management tool to restore and maintain natural lands.

• The native seed nursery at Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve in Grayslake yields between $180,000 and $230,000 worth of seed each year with the help of thousands of volunteer hours annually.

• Restoration of almost 300 acres of former agricultural land to high quality wetland, prairie and savanna habitat at Pine Dunes Forest Preserve in Antioch.

The Dunn Museum embraces environmental stewardship.

“We strive to incorporate green practices in all operations, including exhibit design and installation,” Firkus said. “This is part of an agencywide commitment to incorporating sustainable practices from electric vehicles to net-zero energy facilities.”