Welcome to Orland Grassland~

It's a very special place within our midst.  Adjacent to Orland Park, Orland Hills, and Tinley Park, it is located at the southern-most point of our region's moraine formed by glaciers twelve thousand years ago.  Settled in the 1800s, it was cleared for farming, and traces of old farms are still there.  The clearing took its toll and much of the natural plant and animal life became scarce or left completely.  Orland Grassland now contains some degraded prairie remnant along with large hayfields that are home to nesting prairie birds – species of the highest conservation concern in the Midwest.

A restoration plan is underway that calls for restoring the mix of prairie, wetland, oak savanna and oak woods.  960 acres of ponds, meadows, woods and rolling hills will be improved habitat for the bobolinks, yellow-breasted chats, orchard orioles, and other species that survive there. The preserve may also once again attract sandhill cranes and other grassland species that have lost most of their habitat outside of preserves. With restoration, this beautiful land holds the most incredible promise of providing a stable, nurturing environment to support natural vegetation and wildlife.

The long term vision is to manage the site for a contiguous prairie grassland and wetland within the interior with a perimeter trail and other features that will compliment the use of the preserve for observation, education, and compatible recreation.  The Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC), the Corporation for Open Lands (CorLands), U. S. Army Corps of Engineers-Chicago District, and Audubon-Chicago Region have joined together to implement the plan.

In the short term we need restoration – and lots of it.  Trees and brush not native to the prairie ecosystem need to be cut and cleared. Oak, plum, hazelnut and many other species need to be planted around the perimeters to provide just the right kind of shelter and filtered shading. And, the prairie itself needs seeds, seeds, and more seeds. 

It is going to take the work and heart of many hands, professional and volunteer, for many years.  The result will be nothing less than phenomenal.  We are volunteers hoping to enlist others to become involved in restoration and ongoing monitoring.  Participating in our volunteer workdays provide excellent community volunteer opportunities and field trip outings. 

Take a look around our website.  If you'd like more, or if you have a group that would like to join one of our workdays, contact Suzanne Koglin, Orland Grassland Volunteer (Wednesdays), 708-349-4913; Mike Konrath, FPDCC, 708-387-9265; or Pat Hayes, Orland Grassland Volunteer (Saturdays), 708-460-8270.                                                                           

Hope you'll join us . . .

Volunteers of the Orland Grassland