Santa Fe Prairie Nature Preserve -I & M Canal

06/10/2026

Very important reminder, our next Volunteer Day is Saturday, June 20th, 9-11 am. it will be warm, but wear clothes appropriate for stepping through the tall grasses. Come for the prairie, stay for the homemade cookies!

06/10/2026

We've been asked recently why we aggressively work at eradicating reed canary grass at Santa Fe. It's just grass, right? But here's the problem with it. Reed canary is an invasive, destructive threat to wetlands and prairies. It can turn wide expanses into single-species areas, wrecking biodiversity and the general health of the prairie. It hoards resources such as water and nutrients, and its root system prevents other plants' seeds from germinating. And as its tall stalks and leaves perish, they create a cover that further prevents the sprouting of other flora. This impacts native pollinators and bugs.

Prairie stewards naturally favor biodiverse ecosystems, such as the milkweed, goldenrod, prairie doc, spiderwort, Indian grass, blue bell irises, quinine, and the many other species of flora we have at Santa Fe, along with the wildlife they attract and support. Therefore we can't allow any one species to monopolize our beautiful piece of the planet.

06/10/2026

Thanks once again to Alice, Mark, our steward Anna, and our wonderful volunteers for all their hard work this past Saturday clipping seed heads and spraying for reed canary grass. We couldn't keep our beautiful prairie what it is without their help.

06/08/2026

Today we visited the Nachusa Grasslands which is the 4000 acre child of The Nature Conservancy. Our steward has done a great deal of work there and in fact appears in the credits (as a science advisor) of a documentary on prairies filmed there. It’s a beautiful place of rolling hills, restored farmland, forest, native plants, and a large herd of bison. Currently their foxglove beardtongue, baptisia, and cone flowers are blooming. It’s less than 90 minutes west of our own remnant prairie, near Dixon, and well worth the visit.

05/31/2026

Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers who came out today to tackle the reed canary grass. Mark and Alice brought supplies, Mary made cookies, Anna walked us through what to target, and Doug made hot dogs for our Volunteer Appreciation lunch. We love the many people who give their time to our beautiful prairie. We were also joined by hawks, cormorants, vultures, and the very aggressive red-winged blackbirds.

05/23/2026

Big day next Saturday, May 30th. It’s our Volunteer Appreciation Day. From 9-11 am, we’re going to pick up the trash that has accumulated along the fence to the north of the creek (which can end up in the water after substantial rains). We also want to clip the seed heads off as much of the reed canary grass as we can. Once we’re done, we’re having hot dogs and treats to show our gratitude to the many who help us keep Santa Fe beautiful. We hope to see you there. If you can, please reply to this thread, as we’re trying to gauge how many hot dogs and cookies to bring.

05/11/2026

Just a reminder, our Volunteer Appreciation Day is Saturday, May 30th, 9-11 am. Lots to do, and goodies to share. Following our last burn and the damp spring, Santa Fe is sprouting beautifully, and we can help it be its best.

05/03/2026

04/29/2026

Thanks to everyone who helped with and attended our Earth Day event on Saturday. We had entertainment for the kids, and education from the Environmental Coalition. Many thanks to Lyons Township for sponsoring.