The
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a
prairiePrairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
reserve operated by the
United States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres...
. It is located on the site of the former
Joliet Army Ammunition PlantJoliet Army Ammunition Plant formerly known as the Joliet Arsenal was a United States Army arsenal located in Will County, Illinois, near Elwood, Illinois, south of Joliet, Illinois. Opened in 1940 during World War II, the facility consisted of the Elwood Ordnance Plant and the Kankakee Ordnance...
near
Elwood, IllinoisElwood is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,300 at the 2006 population estimation.-Geography:Elwood is located at ....
, and was established by federal law in 1996. The Illinois Land Conservation Act (Public Law 104-106) created the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, designated the transfer of of land in Illinois from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, and mandates that Midewin be managed to meet four primary objectives:
- 1) To conserve, restore, and enhance the native populations and habitats of fish, wildlife, and plants.
- 2) To provide opportunities for scientific, environmental, and land use education and research.
- 3) To allow the continuation of existing agricultural uses of lands within Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie for the next 20 years, or for compatible resource management uses thereafter.
- 4) To provide recreational opportunities that are compatible with the above purposes.
The first land transfer from the Army to the Forest Service took place on March 10, 1997, and included of land that was believed to be free from contamination.
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The
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is a
prairiePrairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
reserve operated by the
United States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres...
. It is located on the site of the former
Joliet Army Ammunition PlantJoliet Army Ammunition Plant formerly known as the Joliet Arsenal was a United States Army arsenal located in Will County, Illinois, near Elwood, Illinois, south of Joliet, Illinois. Opened in 1940 during World War II, the facility consisted of the Elwood Ordnance Plant and the Kankakee Ordnance...
near
Elwood, IllinoisElwood is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,300 at the 2006 population estimation.-Geography:Elwood is located at ....
, and was established by federal law in 1996. The Illinois Land Conservation Act (Public Law 104-106) created the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, designated the transfer of of land in Illinois from the U.S. Army to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, and mandates that Midewin be managed to meet four primary objectives:
- 1) To conserve, restore, and enhance the native populations and habitats of fish, wildlife, and plants.
- 2) To provide opportunities for scientific, environmental, and land use education and research.
- 3) To allow the continuation of existing agricultural uses of lands within Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie for the next 20 years, or for compatible resource management uses thereafter.
- 4) To provide recreational opportunities that are compatible with the above purposes.
The first land transfer from the Army to the Forest Service took place on March 10, 1997, and included of land that was believed to be free from contamination. Subsequent land acquisitions place the current size of Midewin at . After a period of ecological restoration, part of the prairie opened to visitors in 2004. Another section remains closed to visitors because of
toxic wasteToxic waste is waste material that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It can be spread quite easily and contaminate lakes and rivers...
contamination.
MNTP is the only federally managed
tallgrass prairieThe 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...
located east of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
where surviving areas of that biome are extremely rare.
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