Preserving Nature: Ecosystem Restoration in Action at Oblates Woods Nature Preserve
March 18th, 2025
(Contributed by Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director La Vista Ecological Learning Center)
In mid March, staff from the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, HeartLands Conservancy and the Habitat Strike Team joined with several of our volunteers for a prescribed burn on 10 acres of the Oblates Woods Nature Preserve.
This crew of 15 spent a long day overseeing a successful burn, which is a maintenance technique restoring health to an ecosystem dependent on fire.
It reaps many benefits such as: removing old vegetation to promote growth of native trees and wildflowers; improving habitat for threatened and endangered species; recycling nutrients back into the soil; consuming excess fuel, reducing threat of wildfires.
