Editor’s Note: Over the past few months there have been some questions in the local newspapers about the restoration project in Blackwell Forest Preserve involving Springbrook Creek. Admittedly, a construction project of any kind looks grim before the beauty unfolds, so we invited the Forest Preserve District of DuPage to share an update with our readers about this science-based restoration project. Enjoy.
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By Scott Meister, Forest Preserve District of DuPage
In fall
2020, earth-moving activity at Blackwell Forest Preserve’s stream restoration project
was completed. A new 5,500-foot-long
stream channel with meanders, shallow riffles, and deep pools now provides
diverse habitat for many species. The
removal of a dam coupled with a gradual elevation grade within the stream now
make it possible for fish to swim unobstructed into areas upstream. In addition to stream restoration, 22 new
acres of wetlands were created.
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| Spotted sandpipers quickly occuppied the restored floodplain along Sping Brook #1 at Blackwell. Photo: Scott Meister, July 2021 |
While physical construction was completed at the site, restoration of the vegetative community is ongoing. From May through July 2021, over 60,000 plugs (individual plants) were planted at the site. This quantity is in addition to the 30,000 plugs installed in 2020 at the project site. These native species will “sleep, creep, and leap” in the first, second, and third years after planting. Native plants use energy to build healthy root systems in their first years, and above-ground growth may be minimal. During this time, annual and non-native species try to establish themselves, and staff is busy keeping these unwanted species at bay. Two hundred trees and shrubs still need to be planted, and this coming fall, more native seed will be sown.
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| A male widow skimmer is one of the many dragonflies to colonize the new wetlands created at Blackwell Forest Preserve. Photo: Scott Meister, July 2021 |
Spring Brook originates in Wheaton, and the new stream channel was designed to accommodate water flow we commonly see in this developed watershed. During the last week of June 2021, four inches of rain fell at Blackwell Forest Preserve, testing the capacity and strength of the newly built stream. If areas within the floodplain are not vegetated or armored with rock, erosion can occur. During the storms, water within the stream slowly rose and spilled into the adjacent wetlands and floodplain. As storm waters receded, it was evident the stream and surrounding floodplain performed as designed. No erosion was apparent.
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| Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and blue vervain (Verbena hastata) are thriving in the restored flooplain along Spring Brook No. 1. Photo: Scott Meister, July 2021 |
To accomplish this project, the Forest Preserve District received permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DuPage County’s Stormwater Management Department. Conditions of these permits require the Forest Preserve District to maintain the site at a high level ecologically. Thus, for the next five years, vegetation surveys will be conducted annually along with fish, freshwater mussel, and macroinvertebrate surveys. The diverse plant and animal communities at the newly restored site are already evident. Dragonfly and damselfly populations are abundant at the new wetlands, toads and frogs sang out in chorus in the spring, and egrets, herons, and kingfishers are regular hunters in the stream. If you haven’t visited the project site, south of Mack Road and north of the landfill, take a walk along the new higher-and-drier regional trail and enjoy the sights and sounds of a healthy wetland ecosystem.
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