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STATE OF ILLINOIS WILL PURCHASE GOOSE LAKE PRAIRIE 
Conservationists throughout the state breathed a sigh of relief on July 30, 
when the Illinois Building Authority voted 5 to 1 to provide funds for the 
acquisition of Goose Lake Prairie in Grundy County. The 1800 acre tract, 
the largest undisturbed prairie in the state, is now safe from the developers 
who had planned to turn it into another industrial site. The entire tract, 
except for 80 acres which contain deposits of a rare type of clay, will be 
turned over to the Department of Conservation for a new state park. 
Dr. William Beecher, director of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, explained 
that the prairie originated during the closing years of the Ice Age. when the 
glaciers retreated and left a large lake. Through the years this lake shrank, 
and gravel islands and sandbars formed in its midst. As the waters subsided 
still more, these lands became the uplands of the prairie, and the lower areas 
became marshes. The tract has a variety of habitats, and there are over 200 
varieties of plants and many species of birds such as: grebes, coots, rails, 
marsh wrens, gallinules, and yellow throats. 
Although the prairie is of incalculable scientific value, its preservation 
was strongly opposed by many business groups and the County Board of both 
Will and Grundy Counties. In the forefront of these was Elgin, Joliet, and 
Eastern Railroad, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, whose branch line cuts through 
part of the prairie. 
Goose Lake Prairie is 10 miles east of the town of Morris, and 70 miles 
southwest of Chicago. It lies just west of the juncture of the DesPlaines 
and Kankakee Rivers. The prairie grass and lowlands begin half a mile south 
ofthe riverbank, and no public road comes within half a mile of the prairie 
on the other three sides. 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ACQUIRES PEACOCK PRAIRIE IN GLENVIEW 
The Peacock Prairie Preservation Project has been successful in its attempt 
to save the prairie from destruction. Through the influence of the Open 
Lands Project of Greater Metropolitan Chicago, the University of Illinois 
was pursuaded to purchase the area for use as an outdoor laboratory. The 
prairie will be opened with limited access to the public as soon as fencing 
and an interpretation center have been constructed. 
BIRDS OF PREY CARD NOW CALLED "EAGLES, HAWKS AND OWLS" 
A free set of these cards may be obtained from the IAS Regional 
Office. Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelop with 
your request. Just mark your outside envelop "Eagles, Hawks and 
Owls, Illinois Audubon Society, 1017 Burlington Ave., Downers 
Grove, Ill. 60515.""' October is Hawk and Owl Protection Month in 
Illinois. Help spread the word that these birds are now pro- 
tected by Illinois law. 




