Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area
Encyclopedia
Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area, also known as the Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, is an Illinois Nature Preserve on 997 acres (403.5 ha) in Monroe County
, Illinois
, United States
. A key feature of the preserve is a 532 acres (2.2 km²) hill prairie
located on the east bluff of the Mississippi River
near Fults, Illinois
. The Fults Hill Prairie has been listed as a National Natural Landmark
.
soil. This parcel of land has grown into a hill prairie of grasses and forb
s characteristic of the tallgrass prairie, and varied by snatches of fire-resistant trees such as the bur oak
.
The preserve is home to a vide variety of species found in few other location in Illinois. Some of these include big bluestem
grass, plains scorpion
, cactus, skinks, and fence lizards.
years of the 1800s.
The nature preserve was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1970, and was listed as a National Natural Landmark
in 1986.
The preserve is located approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of Fults. It is owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
.
Monroe County, Illinois
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 32,957, which is an increase of 19.3% from 27,619 in 2000. Its county seat is Waterloo...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A key feature of the preserve is a 532 acres (2.2 km²) hill prairie
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
located on the east bluff of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
near Fults, Illinois
Fults, Illinois
Fults is a village in the Renault precinct of Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28 at the 2000 census. It is located entirely within the American Bottom floodplain.-Geography:Fults is located at ....
. The Fults Hill Prairie has been listed as a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
.
Natural resources
The preserve is dominated by steep Mississippi River limestone bluffs and ravines. On top of the bluff lies a thick coating of windblown loessLoess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soil. This parcel of land has grown into a hill prairie of grasses and forb
Forb
A forb is a herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid . The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory.-Etymology:...
s characteristic of the tallgrass prairie, and varied by snatches of fire-resistant trees such as the bur oak
Bur oak
Quercus macrocarpa, the Bur Oak, sometimes spelled Burr Oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section Quercus sect. Quercus, native to North America in the eastern and midwestern United States and south-central Canada...
.
The preserve is home to a vide variety of species found in few other location in Illinois. Some of these include big bluestem
Big Bluestem
Andropogon gerardii, known also as Big bluestem, Turkey foot, Prairie tallgrass, or simply Tallgrass, is a tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and Prairie regions of central North America- Description :...
grass, plains scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
, cactus, skinks, and fence lizards.
History and description
The upland or hill prairie was once the dominant ecosystem for much of the land that became the U.S. state of Illinois, the Prairie State. The state's Department of Natural Resources, which owns the prairie parcel, describes it as containing "the largest complex of the highest quality, essentially undisturbed loess hill prairies along the Mississippi River in Illinois." Most of the prairie acreage that makes up this parcel apparently remained un-plowed during the pioneerAmerican pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
years of the 1800s.
The nature preserve was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1970, and was listed as a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
in 1986.
The preserve is located approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of Fults. It is owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
.