Along I-355, there are:
- 30 county forest preserves (Cook Co -5, DuPage Co, Will Co – 6)
- 130 municipal parks
- 31 stream crossings
- 1,012 ha of 365 wetlands
There are 29 Element Occurrence Records (EORs) including 5 Federally protected species:
Northern Long-eared Bat (NLEB; threatened)
Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (HED; endangered)
Rusty Patched Bumblebee (RPBB; endangered)
Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid
Leafy Prairie Clover
4 Illinois Nature Preserve Commission sites (INPCs)
Churchill Prairie Nature Preserve, Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve, Black Partridge Woods Nature Preserve, Swift Prairie Nature Preserve
7 Illinois Natural Areas Inventory sites
Lyman Woods, Morton Arboretum, East Branch Marsh, Swift Road Meadow, Black, Partridge Woods, Belmont Prairie, and Churchill Prairie.
We have been conducting surveys in the I-355 corridor for 20 years, beginning with our pre-construction surveys of Blanding’s Turtles in the Des Plaines basin.
We established 4 long term biodiversity monitoring sites in the I-355 corridor – East Branch Forest Preserve (DuPage County), Hidden Lake Forest Preserve (DuPage County), Keepataw Forest Preserve (Will County), and Hadley Valley Forest Preserve (Will County).
In 2022 we surveyed for bats, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, mussels, bees, butterflies, and moths at these 4 sites. Monitoring will continue on a 5 year cycle.
Report citation:
Rahlin, Anastasia A., Jennifer M. Mui, K.C. Carter, Sarah A. Douglass, Tara C. Hohoff, Jeremy S. Tiemann, and Michael J. Dreslik. 2022. “Biological Surveys and Monitoring of Veterans Memorial (I-355) Corridor in 2022.” Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report 2022(23):1–134.
Mui, Jennifer M., Janet L. Jarvis, Anastasia A. Rahlin, and Michael J. Dreslik. 2022. “Initial Assessment of Biotic Resources along the I-355 Corridor.” 2022(10):1–26. Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report.