McHenry County Conservation Foundation Makes an Important Land Acquisition

The McHenry County Conservation Foundation (MCCF)—with the help of an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant and donations from MCCF supporters—recently purchased 40 acres of land adjacent to a 120-acre site formerly known as Camp Lakota, which MCCF purchased in 2021. Combined, the two parcels total 160 acres of contiguous natural area that will be permanently protected for the benefit of all county residents.

This important acquisition contains 14.15 acres of wetland and is part of a larger wetland complex that was preserved when MCCF made the earlier purchase. These wetlands, several of which are on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Illinois Natural Areas Inventory and recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Advanced Identification wetlands, serve as an important recharge area for McHenry County’s groundwater resources. They also support diverse natural communities, which in turn support rare and threatened fauna including endangered or threatened birds such as least bittern, common gallinule and yellow-headed blackbird.

In order to guarantee the permanent preservation of this land, all 160 acres will be transferred to the McHenry County Conservation District for long-term stewardship and management by summer 2026. This transfer ensures these acres become public lands that are protected in perpetuity to benefit both today’s residents and future generations. In the meantime, the Conservation District and MCCF will work together to restore the area, which will increase flood storage capacity of the headwater reaches of both the Nippersink Creek and the Kishwaukee River watersheds.

For more information about MCCF, visit McHenryConservation.org.