72 



THE FOREST PRESERVES 



Endeavoring al- 

 ways tq restore the 

 woodland to as near 

 its natural state as 

 possible your Board 

 of Commissioners 

 has undertaken to 

 make it once more 

 the home of deer. 

 This forest was origi- 

 nally a stalking 

 ground for deer. The 

 Indians established 



what became known as the Deer Trail in getting here from the 



shores of Lake Michigan. 



At the present time there is a pasture of 850 acres com- 

 pletely fenced for deer. Within that pasture four of the finest 

 species of that much-admired animal have been placed and within 

 a few years the Board hopes to have developed a deer park 

 that will be an attraction for thousands. 



In the same region of the Palatine woods the board, at- 

 tempting to help the nation meet the wartime wool and food 

 crisis has established a sheep graze upon which 500 head of 

 sheep are already working for the taxpayers of Cook County. 

 This year's wool clip, only a starter, netted over a ton of wool. 



For the student of bird life this district holds almost every 

 kind of feathered creatures known in the Northwest. All the 

 song birds, including thrushes, robins, bluebirds, etc., make this 

 their home. Quail and pheasants are likewise a common sight. 



Favored as it is with running streams and clearwater lakes 

 the tract is a rendezvous for the blue heron and the bittern all 

 the year round. As a wild duck refuge this tract has long been 

 widely known. The mallard colony here was estimated at more 

 than 500 many years ago. What its membership is now is prob- 

 lematical. 



For the fisherman also the Palatine woods are a source of 

 delight. With proof of possibilities in the propagation of fresh 

 water fish the Illinois State Game and Fish Commission has 

 consented to send "stackers" here with black bass, croppies and 

 blue gills. 



