List of protected areas of Illinois
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| Map of Protected Areas of Illinois Each dot is linked to the corresponding article:  Parks;  Forests;  Recreation Areas;  Fish and Wildlife Areas;  Natural Areas;  National Historic Sites and Trails
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Illinois has a variety of protected areas, including 123 state protected areas - state parks, wildlife areas, recreation areas, nature reserves, and state forests. There are also federal and local level protected areas in the state. These levels interact to provide a variety of recreation opportunities and conservation schemes, sometimes in a small area. For instance, 1,500-acre (6.1 km2) Shabbona Lake State Park lies in DeKalb County which has its own 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) forest preserve system, while the City of DeKalb has a 700-acre (2.8 km2) park system.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Illinois, Cahokia, is protected as State-owned historic site.
Overview[]
Illinois has a wide variety of state owned and administered protected areas: state parks, state forests, state recreation areas, state fish and wildlife areas, state natural areas, and one state trail. They are all administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In addition, several of the state historic sites, administered by its Illinois Historic Preservation Division, also include nature reserves.
There is also a national forest, Shawnee National Forest, a national grassland, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and several other sites administered by the National Park Service, including portions of National Trails. There are also National Wildlife Refuges.
Federal protected areas[]
U.S. Wilderness Areas[]
- Bald Knob Wilderness
- Bay Creek Wilderness
- Burden Falls Wilderness
- Clear Springs Wilderness
- Crab Orchard Wilderness
- Garden of the Gods Wilderness
- Lusk Creek Wilderness
- Panther Den Wilderness
National Forest Service[]
- Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie - 19,454 acres (78.73 km2)
- Shawnee National Forest - 500,000 acres (2,000 km2)
United States Fish and Wildlife Service[]
- Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge
- Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge - 43,500 acres (176 km2) including the 4,050-acre (16.4 km2) Crab Orchard Wilderness
- Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge
- Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge
- Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
- Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex
- Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge
- Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
- Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
National Park Service[]
There are no national parks in Illinois but the Parks Service operates the federally owned 12-acre (49,000 m2) Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois and the Pullman National Monument in Chicago. The Chicago Portage National Historic Site is a NPS-affiliated site which is located in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s Portage Woods and Ottawa Trail Woods units. In addition, the NPS partners in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers[]
- Carlyle Lake - 26,000 acres (110 km2) of water and 11,000 acres (45 km2) of public land
- Illinois Waterway
- Lake Shelbyville - 11,100-acre (45 km2) lake and 23,000 acres (93 km2) of land
- Rend Lake - 18,900 acres (76 km2) of water and 20,000 acres (81 km2) of land
Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)[]
Areas designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention:[1]
- Cache River-Cypress Creek Wetlands
- Chiwaukee Prairie Illinois Beach Lake Plain (shared with Wisconsin)
- The Emiquon Complex
- Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
- Upper Mississippi (shared with Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin)
Current state parks[]
State parks are owned by the state and generally administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.[2]
| Park Name | County or Counties | Area (acres) | Area (km2) | Year Established | Water Body(s) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park | Lake | 4,160 | 16.8 | 1948 | Lake Michigan | |
| Anderson Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area | Fulton | 2,247 | 9.09 | 1947 | Anderson Lake | |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | Jo Daviess | 297 | 1.20 | 1932 | Apple River | |
| Argyle Lake State Park | McDonough | 1,700 | 6.9 | 1948 | ||
| Baldwin Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area | Randolph | 2,018 | 8.17 | ? | Baldwin Lake | |
| Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area | Fulton | 4,363 | 17.66 | ? | Illinois River | |
| Bartlett Woods Nature Preserve | Lee | 23 | 0.093 | 1987 | Big Bureau Creek | |
| Beall Woods State Park | Wabash | 635 | 2.57 | 1966 | ||
| Beaver Dam State Park | Macoupin | 750 | 3.0 | 1947 | Beaver Dam Lake | |
| Big River State Forest | Henderson | 2,900 | 12 | 1925 | Mississippi River | |
| [3] | Madison | 90 | 0.36 | ? | ||
| Buffalo Rock State Park & Effigy Tumuli | LaSalle | 298 | 1.21 | November 15, 1928 | Illinois River | |
| Cache River State Natural Area | Johnson | 14,314 | 57.93 | 1970 | Cache River | |
| [4] | Alexander | 1,380 | 5.6 | ? | ||
| Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Fayette | 37,000 | 150 | 1966 | Carlyle Lake | |
| Castle Rock State Park | Ogle | 2,000 | 8.1 | 1921 | Rock River | |
| Cave-in-Rock State Park | Hardin | 204 | 0.83 | 1929 | Ohio River | |
| Chain O'Lakes State Park | McHenry | 1,700 | 6.9 | 1945 | , , Channel Lake, , Fox River, , , , , , , | |
| Channahon State Park | Will | 20.5 | 0.083 | 1932 | DuPage River, Des Plaines River, Kankakee River | |
| Clinton Lake State Recreation Area | DeWitt | 9,300 | 38 | 1978 | Clinton Lake, Salt Creek, | |
| Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Montgomery | 297 | 1.20 | 1966 | Coffeen Lake, Shoal Creek | |
| Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area | Crawford | 1,129 | 4.57 | ? | ||
| Delabar State Park | Henderson | 89 | 0.36 | 1960 | Mississippi River | |
| Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area | Will | 5,000 | 20 | 1948 | Kankakee River, | |
| Dixon Springs State Park | Pope | 801 | 3.24 | 1946 | Wabash River | |
| Donnelley/Depue State Park | Putnam | 3,015 | 12.20 | 1982 | , , , Illinois River | |
| Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area | Fulton | 1,961 | 7.94 | 2001 | Double T Lake | |
| Eagle Creek State Recreation Area | Shelby | 11,100 | 45 | May, 1963 | Lake Shelbyville, | |
| Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area | Logan | 974 | 3.94 | 1971 | Salt Creek | |
| Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area | Clinton | 3,000 | 12 | ? | Carlyle Lake, Lake Shelbyville | |
| Ferne Clyffe State Park | Johnson | 2,430 | 9.8 | 1949 | Ferne Clyffe Lake | |
| Fort Massac State Park | Massac | 1,450 | 5.9 | 1908 | Ohio River | |
| Fox Ridge State Park | Coles | 2,064 | 8.35 | 1930s | , Embarras River | |
| Frank Holten State Recreation Area | St. Clair | 1,080 | 4.4 | 1964 | , | |
| Franklin Creek State Natural Area | Lee | 882 | 3.57 | 1982 | ||
| Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area | Monroe | 997 | 4.03 | 1970 | ||
| Gebhard Woods State Park | Grundy | 30 | 0.12 | 1934 | ||
| Giant City State Park | Jackson, Union | 1,100 | 4.5 | 1927 | Little Grassy Lake, | |
| Golconda Marina State Recreation Area | Pope | 274 | 1.11 | ? | Ohio River | |
| Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area | Grundy | 2,537 | 10.27 | 1969 | , Des Plaines River, Kankakee River, Illinois River | |
| Green River State Wildlife Area | Lee | 2,565 | 10.38 | 1940 | Green River | |
| Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area | Hamilton | 1,683 | 6.81 | 1962 | ||
| Harry "Babe" Woodyard State Natural Area | Vermilion | 1,104 | 4.47 | ? | ? | |
| Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie State Park | Peoria | 1,700 | 6.9 | 2000 | , , , | |
| Heidecke Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area | Grundy | 1,300 | 5.3 | ? | ||
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | Bureau, Lee, Whiteside, Rock Island, Henry | 60,314 | 244.08 | 1970 | Hennepin Canal | 104.5-mile (168.2 km) linear park (W To Moline then N to Rock Falls vic.) |
| Hidden Springs State Forest | Shelby | 1,200 | 4.9 | 1960 | , | |
| Horseshoe Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area | Alexander | 10,200 | 41 | ? | Horseshoe Lake | |
| Horseshoe Lake State Park | Madison | 2,960 | 12.0 | ? | Horseshoe Lake | |
| Illini State Park | LaSalle | 510 | 2.1 | 1934 | Illinois River | |
| Illinois Caverns State Natural Area | Monroe | 120 | 0.49 | 1985 | None | 9.6 km of the park are passages underground. |
| Iroquois County State Wildlife Area | Iroquois | 2,480 | 10.0 | 1944 | None | Occupies the edge of the former Glacial Lake Watseka. |
| James "Pate" Philip State Park | DuPage, Kane | 3,432 | 13.89 | 1991 | ||
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area | Cass | 16,550 | 67.0 | June, 1993 | , , | |
| Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park | Henry | 1,365 | 5.52 | ? | ||
| Jubilee College State Park | Peoria | 3,200 | 13 | 1933 | None | |
| Kankakee River State Park | Kankakee, Will | 4,000 | 16 | 1938 | Kankakee River | |
| Kaskaskia River State Fish & Wildlife Area | St. Clair, Monroe, Randolph | 20,000 | 81 | ? | Kaskaskia River, Baldwin Lake | |
| Kickapoo State Recreation Area | Vermilion | 2,842 | 11.50 | 1939 | Middle Fork | |
| Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Jackson | 11,750 | 47.6 | 1968 | Kinkaid Lake, , | |
| Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area | DeKalb | 570 | 2.3 | 2002 | Kishwaukee River | |
| Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park | Stephenson | 715 | 2.89 | 1948 | ||
| Lake Murphysboro State Park | Jackson | 1,022 | 4.14 | 1948 | ||
| LaSalle Lake State Fish & Wildlife Area | LaSalle | 2,058 | 8.33 | ? | ||
| Lewis and Clark State Historic Site | Madison | 2002 | None | |||
| Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial | Macon | 162 | 0.66 | 1957 | Sangamon River | |
| Lincoln Trail State Park | Clark | 1,023 | 4.14 | 1958 | Lincoln Trail Lake | |
| Lowden State Park | Ogle | 207 | 0.84 | 1945 | Rock River | |
| Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area | Tazewell | 1,448 | 5.86 | 1970 | Mackinaw River | |
| Marshall State Fish & Wildlife Area | Marshall | 6,000 | 24 | 1925 | Illinois River | |
| Matthiessen State Park | LaSalle | 1,700 | 6.9 | 1943 | , Vermilion River | |
| Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area | Bureau | 911 | 3.69 | ? | 15 lakes | |
| Mazonia/Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area | Grundy | 1,017 | 4.12 | 1981 | ||
| Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Massac | 2,630 | 10.6 | 1949 | ||
| Middle Fork State Fish and Wildlife Area | Vermilion | 2,700 | 11 | 1986 | Middle Fork | |
| Mississippi Palisades State Park | Carroll | 2,500 | 10 | 1973 | Mississippi River, Apple River | |
| Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area | Jersey, Calhoun | 24,386 | 98.69 | ? | , | |
| Mitchell's Grove Nature Preserve | La Salle | 184 | 0.74 | 1997 | Little Vermillion River | |
| Moraine Hills State Park | McHenry | 2,200 | 8.9 | 1939 | , Fox River | |
| Moraine View State Recreation Area | McLean | 1,687 | 6.83 | 1959 | , Salt Creek | |
| Morrison-Rockwood State Park | Whiteside | 1,164 | 4.71 | 1971 | Rock Creek, Lake Carlton | |
| Nauvoo State Park | Hancock | 148 | 0.60 | ? | Mississippi River, | |
| Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Jasper | 1,775 | 7.18 | 1979 | , , | |
| North Point Marina | Lake | 297 | 1.20 | ? | Lake Michigan | |
| Peabody River State Fish and Wildlife Area | Randolph | 2,200 | 8.9 | ? | 20 lakes | |
| Pekin Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Tazewell | 1,181 | 4.78 | ? | Pekin Lake, Worley Lake | |
| Pere Marquette State Park | Jersey | 8,050 | 32.6 | 1931 | Mississippi River, Illinois River | |
| Piney Creek Ravine State Natural Area | Jackson, Randolph | 198 | 0.80 | 1972 | ||
| Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Tazewell | 1,426 | 5.77 | ? | Powerton Lake | |
| Prophetstown State Recreation Area | Whiteside | 53 | 0.21 | 1947 | , Rock River | |
| Pyramid State Recreation Area | Perry | 19,701 | 79.73 | 1968 | Super Lake | |
| Ramsey Lake State Recreation Area | Fayette | 1,980 | 8.0 | ? | , Ramsey Creek | |
| Randolph County State Recreation Area | Randolph | 1,101 | 4.46 | 1958 | ||
| Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area | Pike | 1,140 | 4.6 | 1970 | Illinois River | |
| Red Hills State Park | Lawrence | 967 | 3.91 | 1953 | ||
| Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Franklin, Jefferson | 38,900 | 157 | ? | Rend Lake | |
| Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Fulton | 5,660 | 22.9 | 1945 | ||
| Rock Cut State Park | Winnebago | 3,092 | 12.51 | 1957 | , | |
| Rock Island Trail State Park | Stark, Peoria | 1989 | None | 26-mile (42 km) public rail trail. | ||
| Saline County State Fish and Wildlife Area | Saline | 1,270 | 5.1 | 1959 | Glen O. Jones Lake | |
| Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area | Wayne | 1,302 | 5.27 | 1959 | ||
| Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area | Jasper | 1,180 | 4.8 | 1960 | ||
| Sand Ridge State Forest | Mason | 7,200 | 29 | 1939 | None | |
| Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area | Cass, Schuyler, Mason | 10,360 | 41.9 | 1948 | ||
| Sangchris Lake State Recreation Area | Christian, Sangamon | 3,022 | 12.23 | 1964 | Sangchris Lake | |
| Shabbona Lake State Park | DeKalb | 1,550 | 6.3 | 1978 | ||
| Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area | Moultrie | 6,200 | 25 | ? | Kaskaskia River, West Okaw River | |
| Sielbeck Forest Natural Area | Johnson | 385 | 1.56 | 1998 | ||
| Siloam Springs State Park | Adams, Brown | 3,323 | 13.45 | 1940 | ||
| Silver Springs State Fish & Wildlife Area | Kendall | 1,350 | 5.5 | 1969 | Fox River, , , | |
| Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area | Knox | 2,500 | 10 | 1987 | ||
| South Shore State Park | Clinton | 26,000 | 110 | ? | Carlyle Lake | |
| Spitler Woods State Natural Area | Macon | 202.5 | 0.819 | 1937 | ||
| Spring Lake Fish and Wildlife Area | Tazewell | 2,032 | 8.22 | 1950 | ||
| Starved Rock State Park | LaSalle | 2,630 | 10.6 | 1911 | Illinois River | |
| Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area | Marion | 3,103 | 12.56 | 1959 | ||
| Ten Mile Creek State Fish & Wildlife Area | Hamilton, Jefferson | 6,000 | 24 | 1988 | ||
| Trail of Tears State Forest | Union | 5,114 | 20.70 | 1929 | Mississippi River, Clear Creek | |
| Tunnel Hill State Trail | Johnson, Pulaski, Saline, Williamson | None | 45-mile (72.4 km) Trail. | |||
| Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area | Randolph | 2,264 | 9.16 | ? | ||
| Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area | Union | 6,202 | 25.10 | 1940s | ||
| Volo Bog State Natural Area | Lake | 1,150 | 4.7 | 1970 | Volo Bog | |
| Walnut Point State Park | Douglas | 671 | 2.72 | 1968 | ||
| Washington County State Recreation Area | Washington | 900 | 3.6 | 1959 | ||
| Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area | Franklin, Jefferson | 3,300 | 13 | 1975 | Rend Lake, Big Muddy River | |
| Weinberg-King State Park | Schuyler | 772 | 3.12 | 1968 | ? | |
| Weldon Springs State Recreation Area | DeWitt | 550 | 2.2 | 1948 | Salt Creek | |
| White Pines Forest State Park | Ogle | 385 | 1.56 | 1927 | Pine Creek, | Southernmost stand of virgin, native white pine trees in the state of Illinois.[5] |
| William G. Stratton State Park | Grundy | |||||
| William W. Powers State Recreation Area | Cook | 580 | 2.3 | 1947 | Wolf Lake | |
| Wolf Creek State Park | Shelby | 23,500 | 95 | 1968 | Lake Shelbyville, | |
| Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area | Woodford | 2,900 | 12 | Illinois River, Upper Peoria Lake |
Historic preservation[]
Around 50 usually smaller sites concerning historic structures are owned by the state and administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Division, some of which may have a nature preservation component, including the Cahokia World Heritage Site and Lincoln's New Salem.[6]
Local level parks[]
A variety of county and town protected areas exist in Illinois, including city park districts and county-wide Forest Preserve Districts, as well as land owned by private organizations. One of the largest systems is the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, which includes Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Botanic Garden as well as 70,000 acres (280 km2) of open land, or 11.6 percent of Cook County’s land area. Most counties lack a public landholding agency, but below are the landholdings of such districts in Illinois:
- Boone County Conservation District - 4,000 acres (16 km2)
- Byron Forest Preserve District - 1,708 acres (6.91 km2)
- Champaign County Forest Preserve District - 4,000 acres (16 km2)
- Forest Preserve District of Cook County - 70,000 acres (280 km2)
- DeKalb County Forest Preserve - 4,000 acres (16 km2)
- Forest Preserve District of DuPage County - 26,000 acres (110 km2)
- Forest Preserve District of Kane County - 20,000 acres (81 km2)
- Forest Preserves of the Kankakee River Valley - 465 acres (1.88 km2)
- Kendall County Forest Preserve District - 2,663 acres (10.78 km2)
- Lake County Forest Preserve - 31,000 acres (130 km2)
- Macon County Conservation District - 3,490 acres (14.1 km2)
- McHenry County Conservation District - 24,000 acres (97 km2)
- Putnam Country Conservation District - 1,100-acre (4.5 km2)
- Rock Island Forest Preserve District - 2,529 acres (10.23 km2)
- Vermilion County Conservation District - 6,600 acres (27 km2)
- Forest Preserve District of Will County - 21,966 acres (88.89 km2)
- Winnebago County Forest Preserve District - 11,500 acres (47 km2)
References[]
- ^ "The Annotated Ramsar List: United States of America" (PDF). Ramsar.org. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "State Parks & Outdoor Recreation". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "Bohm Woods Nature Preserve". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "Conserving the Land: The Rock River Country Archived 2005-04-19 at the Wayback Machine," Critical Trends Assessment Program, Rock River Country Project ("Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-04-19. Retrieved 2007-07-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)), Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 3 July 2007.
- ^ "Visit a State Historic Site". Illinois Historic Preservation Division. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
External links[]
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Categories:
- Protected areas of Illinois
- Illinois geography-related lists
- Lists of protected areas of the United States
- State parks of Illinois