An operations committee with the Forest Preserve District of Will County approved an agreement Wednesday with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, bringing the outfit one step closer to executing a $15.2 million aquatic ecosystem restoration project for the Prairie Bluff Preserve in Lockport Township, Illinois.
The site has long been a critical habitat for endangered plants and species, such as the Hines emerald dragonfly, among others, said Ralph Schultz, the district’s chief operating officer.
But many of the rare species found in this habitat rely on a stable source of groundwater, which is under the threat of invasive species. The goal of the project is to restore the land and the nearby Lockport Prairie, he said.
Photo of Hines emerald dragonfly by greglasley.com