SURE IS SO DBR LOSING Tis] 8B bal Ei bg Ded Asay) 27 
Fifteen Nature Preserves have already been dedicated by the Com- 
mission. The first is the 768-acre Illinois Beach Nature Preserve in the 
southern part of Illinois Beach State Park, near Zion. This is a unique 
area of beach, sand dunes, and swales which has been largly undisturbed 
since the last glacial period, some 12,000 years ago. The dunes near the 
beach are covered with sandbinding grasses, bearberry, and Waukegan 
juniper, and those farther inland support black oaks, sand cherry, willows, 
Jersey tea, shrubby cinquefoil and cactus. Farther to the west are extensive 
areas of sand prarie and marsh. The whole Preserve is a mass of color 
when the more than 250 species of flowers come into bloom throughout 
the season. 
Eleven Nature Preserves are in remote, undisturbed parts of the Cook 
County Forest Preserves. Black Partridge Woods, on the north side of 
Bluff Road, across the DesPlaines River Valley from Lemont, is an area 
of hills and ravines with forested slopes and a spring-fed stream. Skunk 
cabbage and marsh marigold are abundant, along with a wide variety of 
early spring wildflowers. Cap Sauers Holding, west of 104th Avenue, 
south of Route 83 to Ford Road and McCarthy Road (123rd Street), is a 
large (1,520 acres) undeveloped tract of native landscape, constituing a 
miniature “wilderness area” on the outskirts of Chicago. It has rugged, 
hilly terrain, oak-hickory woodlands, thickets of haws and crab apples, 
open meadows, and a few intermittent ponds. 
Busse Forest, 440 acres. is located north of Higgins Road (Route 72), 
between Salt Creek and the forest preserve entrance drive. It is an ex- 
cellent hardwood forest, with large hard maple, bur oak, and red eim 
trees, and an abundance of spring wildflowers, including such rare species 
as the nodding trillium. There is also a cattail swamp and an unusual 
abundance and diversity of wildlife. Spring Lake is bounded by Dundee 
Road, Cook-Lake County Line Road, Bateman Road, and Sutton Road. It 
is a broad valley with a winding creek, two lakes, marshes and wet 
meadows. It includes 560 acres of fine wildlife refuge of unusual scenic 
beauty. Shoe Factory Road Nature Preserve is adjacent to Shoe Factory 
Road, midway between Sutton Road and the EJ&ERR in Hanover Town- 
ship. This is a rare remnant of gravel hill prairie, with little bluestem 
grass and an assemblage of other plants typical of dry upland prarie. This 
type of vegatation is nearly extinct in the region. Cranberry Slough, 400 
acres west of Mannheim Road and south of 95th Street, includes the only 
remnant in Cook County of a post-glacial quaking bog. It is notable for 
its sphagnum moss, cranberry, royal fern, and purple chokeberry. The 
slough is inhabited by beavers. 
Paw Paw Woods, 105 acres, extends on both sides of Archer Avenue 
from 95th Street to the GM&ORR west of Fairmont Cemetery. It includes 
both bluff and floodplain woodland habitats, with three uncommon 
species — paw paw, shingle oak and chinquapin oak — along with spice 
bush and an abundance of wild flowers. Zander Woods, 440 acres, lies 
north of 183rd Street and Thorn Creek Road, south of Thornton-Lansing 
Road, and west of Calumet Expressway. This area contains both open 
sandy ridges and swales and heavy oak-hickory forest. It has sweet fern, 
several orchids, lupine, sassafras, sour gum, and other unusual species. 
Jurgenson Woods is south of 183rd Street, north of North Creek, east 
of the forest preserve entrance drive and west of Calumet Expressway. 
It includes a fine woodland of large trees, quantities of blueberry, some 
Sassafras and sour gum, and many other plants that are locally rare. 
Sand Ridge Preserve is east of Torrence Avenue, west of the Pennsylvania 
