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Weekend Explorer - Illinois Prairie
Path [Click Here to see original article with photos]
Stretching through Cook, DuPage, and Kane Counties, the 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path arcs through residential areas, bustling business districts, and forest preserves, attracting cyclists, joggers, hikers, cross-country skiers, and equestrians. Built in the 1960s on the right-of-way once occupied by the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin electric railroad, the Prairie Path was the first 'rail-to-trail' conversion of its kind in the country. The volunteer movement that created it, led by legendary Chicago-area naturalist May Thielgaard Watts, sparked a national trend. Straight for long stretches, with occasional bends, the Illinois Prairie Path travels nearly due west from Maywood, forking in Wheaton, eventually spurring toward the far-western suburbs of Aurora, St. Charles, Geneva, and Elgin. These spurs ultimately connect to the Fox River Trail. Many of the remnants of original tallgrass prairie exist today because of railroads. Although there are few sweeping prairie vistas along the Illinois Prairie Path, in two main sections visitors are indeed walking or biking alongside original Illinois prairie ' thousands of years old ' strikingly offset by dignified modern streetlights. One of the best large parcels, Elmhurst Great Western Prairie, is a narrow, six-acre original remnant stretching eight city blocks from Spring Road to Salt Creek. Elmhurst's Keith Olson, a former Prairie Path board member and amateur naturalist who lives only a few blocks from the path, combs the right-of-way collecting seeds to insure that the native flora flourishes. The other notable remnant is West Chicago Prairie. Situated immediately south off the Geneva Spur on the western portion of the Prairie Path, this preserve is more than 300 acres of diverse prairie and buffer, with winding dirt paths. In these notable prairies, as well as smaller 'pocket prairies' scattered over the route, trail users may see shooting star, cardinal flower, yellow coneflower, Carolina rose, compass plant, cup plant, blazing star, dogbane, rattlesnake master, and Indian grass. Volunteers have actively encouraged these natives along the path. Some, such as in Villa Park, have planted prairie gardens. Bikers can cruise over waterways such as Salt Creek, the east Branch of the DuPage River, and the Fox River. Of the trail's many bridges, at least one is an historic iron railroad crossing. Wooded regions provide a canopy of shade, although many of these are of invasive buckthorn, not native trees and shrubs. Cyclists and pedestrians can find trails into most of the forest preserves the Prairie Path encounters, including Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville, with its large lake and the 150-foot Mt. Hoy lookout. In Glen Ellyn, west of Hill Avenue and north of the Glen Oak Country Club, Prairie Path users can see the 'Special Eight,' a newly acquired property featuring an uncommon glacial kame. In Wheaton, the path offers a good view of Lincoln Marsh, where sandhill cranes stop on their migration route. Trail visitors can also study plants at Founders Park. A few miles northwest of Lincoln Marsh is the Timber Ridge Forest Preserve, where benches overlook the West Branch of the DuPage River. Pratt's Wayne Woods, in Wayne, offers paths, shade,and open wooded areas. For more information on the Illinois Prairie Path, or to join a volunteer workday, call (630) 682-9297 or visit ipp.org. RoamingThe well-established Illinois Prairie Path has spawned a slew of businesses catering to trail users. Among them is The Bike Shop in Glen Ellyn, 449 N. Main Street, (630) 793-4030, which began its operations specifically for cyclists using the trail. 'We're here for the flat tires, loose chains, and all the other things that plague trail riders,' service manager Drew Hettinga says. Independently owned food carts selling hot dogs and cold drinks dot the Prairie Path route. Small gift shops and sandwich haunts have also adopted the 'prairie' name. Another such business is the Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, a half-mile from the path. Jim and Jason Ebel opened the brewery in 1996, and, in an attempt to create a local feel, Prairie Path Ale became their first brand. The company, which also brews Domaine DuPage and Brown Fox, offers free 45-minute tours the first Saturday of each month. Tours include beer sampling. Call (630) 393-4800. Many of the older suburban towns have local historical societies providing interesting background on the communities. The Villa Park Historical Society Museum, 220 S. Villa Avenue, (630) 941-0223, is located in the historic Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad station, alongside the path. Slightly off the path, the Fox River Valley Trolley Museum, 361 S. LaFox Street (Illinois Route 31) in South Elgin, (847) 697-4676, features old train and trolley cars that rode Chicago rails. Or try the DuPage County Illinois Historical Museum, 102 E. Wesley Street in Wheaton, (630) 682-7343. Admission is $3. St. Charles is home of the Kane County Flea Market. For directions to the market from the path and an updated market schedule, call (630) 377-2252. The market goes all year. Admission is $5. ForagingDuring the summer and into early October, Elmhurst sponsors a bustling and popular farmer's market, located on the north side of Valette Street, just east of the York Street intersection. For information, call (630) 279-5530. Villa Park also holds a French Market each summer, selling not only farmer's market fare but also crafts and other food products. The market sets up shop on Park Boulevard adjacent to the Prairie Path. It runs every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you need to stop for fuel as the day wears on, brake for a hearty meal at the Mill Race Inn, an old restaurant located on the river in Geneva. The Mill Race is located at 4 East State Street, (630) 232-2030. Prices are moderate. The Prairie Path goes through downtowns such as Glen Ellyn and Wheaton, so there are other dining options near the path. On the way through Wheaton, try the Egg'lectic Café on 145 N. Hale Street, (630) 690-9001. Or tempt your sweet tooth at Suzette's Creperie, (630) 462-0898, at 211 W. Front Street. Bedding DownIf you're looking for a weekend away from the city to explore Kane County, Geneva might be the ticket. The Oscar Swan Country Inn is a local bed and breakfast frequented by path users. It is located at 1880 W. State Street, (630) 232-0173. For those in the mood for a more rustic adventure, the Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville offers 60 family campsites just north of Silver Lake. The campsites, which include restrooms with showers and available electrical hook-ups, are open May through September on Friday and Saturday nights only. For information or to make a reservation, call (630) 933-7248. [Click Here to see original article with photos]
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Join the Club You can help my community by picking up cans and then recycling them. Whenever I take a walk, I bring a bag with me in case I find any cans on the ground. Sometimes I take my dog with me and she finds some cans on the ground. Lots of times I find them when I'm walking with my grandma on the Great Western Trail or on the Prairie Path. On the Great Western Trail, I often find them in the trees and bushes along the path. Wherever I go, I pick up cans. I have a little club I call Clean Up the Community Corporation. Anyone can join when they pick up their first can. I have seven people in my club. I started this club when I noticed that there were lots of cans on the street, in the bushes, on the Prairie Path, Great Western Trail and my neighbors' yards. My mom, dad, grandma and some of my friends joined. I am the leader of the club. My club is still going. I take my cans to the USM Recycling Center across from the Jewel on Geneva Road in Wheaton. Members pick up cans, a lot of them. If you really look hard to find cans, you see a lot of them. Please be part of the project. Pick up cans and do not pollute. Thank you for not polluting.
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It's like a bike path to the great
beyond My 7-year-old son and I recently took our first long bike trip on the Illinois Prairie Path, starting in Elmhurst. After an hour of riding, we decided to sit on a nice bench on the side of the path and have a snack. Brett noticed on the bench a small plaque dedicated to a gentleman (let's call him John Smith), and he asked why it was there. I explained that Mr. Smith's family did this as a special way of memorializing him after his death. I mentioned that perhaps Mr. Smith spent a lot of time on this path riding his bike, walking, etc., and his family thought that this was a good way to remember him. As we continued to eat our snack, Brett kept looking at the ground. Thinking he had dropped something, I asked what he was looking for. He peered up and asked quietly, "Mom, are there dead people buried under here?" He was quite relieved when I explained that, no, the people who have died are buried in cemeteries, not under park benches on public bike paths.
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DuPage Captures Kame While “Special 8” may sound more like a cereal than property, a triangular 8.3-acre parcel by that name in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is actually a remnant with a 30-foot-long kame, a rare glacial hill. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County purchased the property in December. The kame, called Glacial Ridge, was once part of a system that sprawled hundreds of acres across the landscape. Farming and development wore much of this topography flat, but Glacial Ridge, tucked away between the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin Railway (now the Illinois Prairie Path), escaped major destruction. Illinois Prairie Path President Don Kirchenberg spearheaded the movement to save the kame. He points out that it is adjacent to an unbroken one-mile stretch of the Prairie Path that is a favorite of bike riders. Plant specialists Marlin Bowles and Pat Armstrong confirmed the site’s ecological significance. Its lower reaches are mostly oak woodland, with oaks, aspen, and hazelnut. The top of the kame is prairie, with dry gravel soil that supports more than 100 native plants, including wild hyacinth and pale vetchling, a threatened species in Illinois. In 2002, Gayle Homes purchased the property and proposed the construction of family homes or townhouses. While the builders maintained that construction would not harm the kame, it would have required extending Whittier Avenue across the Prairie Path. The Forest Preserve District also sought the property and filed condemnation papers against the owners. Though the owners initially sought as much as one million dollars, they settled for $375,000. The Village of Glen Ellyn may agree to manage the site. | ||
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Prairie Path group irritated by
bicycle lockers The nonprofit organization that manages the Illinois Prairie Path is upset over Villa Park's decision to place 20 bright blue bicycle lockers near the path, saying they bring undesirable advertising to a historic area. The lockers stand in two rows on the south side of the path, near the Villa Park Historical Society Museum. Dasani, the water company, donated the Trek Cruiser Classic bicycles and lockers -- together valued around $52,000 -- a few weeks ago. The word "Dasani" is printed on each locker in white letters. The Illinois Prairie Path's nonprofit corporation sent a letter to the Village Board July 6, asking the board to move the bicycles and the lockers that hold them to a "more suitable location." "The streetscape in Villa Park is an important part of the trail experience," the letter states. "The board feels strongly that the Illinois Prairie Path, the Villa Park historic district and the Villa Park Historical Museum should be protected from any overly commercial placement like these blue Dasani bicycle lockers." Path President Don Kirchenberg said the lockers are the closest advertisements to the 61-mile trail, aside from where the path runs by Metra stations. "We're concerned about commercial placement on the path, particularly in this area," he said. "It's a special place on the path and a bad place to start commercial advertising." His organization was not told ahead of time about the location of the lockers, he said, a decision on which it normally would have been consulted. "The Dasani thing was rushed in, and we weren't given advance notice or the opportunity to comment," he said. He and other Path board members suggested the village move the lockers to Lions Park, about two blocks north of the path. That's where riders have to register for swipe cards that open the lockers. "That seems logical, to put the storage lockers at that location," said Jean Mooring, Path board member. "And it wouldn't destroy the appearance of the historical museum." Village President Joyce Stupegia said the lockers are on village-owned property and won't be relocated anytime soon. "That could happen in the future; we don't know," she said of moving the lockers. "At this time they're not going to be removed. They're not infringing on county right of way." Village Manager Bob Niemann said the village put the lockers close to the path for a reason. "People by nature are not going to walk two and a half blocks and then come back," he said. "They want (the bicycles) convenient. Convenience is a huge factor in this." He also said the site was chosen because it's in plain view. Recently the board has been concerned with vandalism around Villa Park. "Anyone trying to steal a bike, there's a good chance someone's going to see them," Niemann said. Stupegia said the bicycle program seems to be catching on. "I've seen groups over there, and it looks like they are being used," she said. "People are enhancing their health with a little more bike riding." Joe Cressman's e-mail address is: | ||
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Progression or digression, VP historic
district faces growing issues Area residents occupied almost every seat of Village Hall at the July 11 Villa Park Board of Trustees meeting, waiting to either voice their concerns or show their support for the variances to the building of a four-story condominium at 27 W. Park Boulevard. "These are very important issues," said Joyce Stupegia, village president. "What we decide here will show what direction the village is headed in the future." The condominium, which will be home to 18 new residents and a total of around 35 new parking spaces, was originally brought to the board in January of 2004. The original building, which drew many questions from trustees and area residents, wasn't considered feasible and consistent with the historical aspects of Villa Park and therefore was sent back to be modified to accommodate the village. According to Rodrick J. Reid, petitioner of these modifications, the new look of the building makes the facade more like the community, is more pedestrian friendly and leaves a more softened streetscape, keeping the casual experience of Villa Park intact. "We tried to listen and accommodate everyone's vision," said Reid. "The truth is we put as much of everyone's vision that we could and made the changes because we have tremendous respect for what Villa Park is all about." According to Bill King, member of the Community Approach with a Remedy for Everyone (CARE) group that has been pursuing this issue since October, the new modifications made to the proposed building on Park fulfill none of the requests made by CARE. "We sent letters, made phone calls and tied ribbons on trees," said King. "No changes we recommended were done. We are not against progression in Villa Park, but this building is not the right fit." The official modifications to the condominium design rather than the building facade itself include a 65-percent reduction in the current side yard requirement, an 80-percent reduction in the current rear yard requirement, a 71-percent reduction in the village's current parking space requirement and lowering the residential parking spaces from 36 to 31. "I cannot support these variances," said Stupegia. "The proposed development will most certainly have a detrimental impact on a neighborhood that is rich in history, architecture and homeowners." With all the controversy surrounding last night's meeting, no major decision was made. The accpetance of the variances to the building were approved and will now be moved to the formal vote at the next Villa Park Board of Trustees meeting on July 25. According to many residents, the location is the cornerstone of the Ardmore historic district and allowing a building of this magnitude to be built in the village would set the tone for a high-rise condominium district in Villa Park. "I am not against progression in our village but with this location, it is just not ready for a big building," said Anna Smith, resident of Villa Park. "If this kind of building is allowed to be built, Villa Park will not be the same." With the decision of the board and the president to move these modifications to the formal vote at the next board meeting, the contractors now need to make more changes to the proposed building or leave it with the modifications approved last night that only comply with one of the planning and zoning codes. Although many residents and trustees voiced their opinions against the construction of this new building, others believe the long-term effects will benefit the village. "Sometimes, we have to be creative and think outside the box," said Trustee John Vargas. "This to me is thinking outside the box, and whether people agree with me or not, I agree with the building of this condominium." The proposed building of the condominium on Park is not the only issue bearing down on the president and trustees. At the July 5 meeting of the Illinois Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation, the board of directors voted unanimously to continue to protect the Illinois Prairie Path (IPP). The concern is its historic streetscape and the Villa Park Historical Museum by the Village of Villa Park to move the DASANI bicycle rental lockers currently installed on the Prairie Path next to the historical museum at Villa Ave. "We are more concerned with the long-term affects of putting something commercial like these DASANI bicycle lockers on such a historic streetscape," said Don Kirchenberg, president of the Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation. "Something like this historical museum and special streetscape should be protected." The DASANI "Blue Bikes" and special storage lockers were installed during a ceremony on DuPage County Bike Day, June 25, as a gesture from DASANI and their Blue Bikes program that promotes active and healthy lifestyles. Beside the DASANI bicycle locker location, the Prairie Path not-for-profit corporation has other concerns regarding the area trails. Having recently lost trail right-of way along the Prairie Path in Lombard to allow for 80 parking spaces to be built primarily for private residences, they now have concerns with the proposed Kenilworth development plan. "We do not see enough parking for visitors and guests to these new residences," said Kirchenberg in a letter to the DuPage County board and chairman. "Will enough parking be provided to eliminate the future need to take away trail right-of-way for parking for this development?" Some residents, like Bob Preuss of Villa Park, believe that these growing problems are the least of the village's concerns as compared to the condominium. "You can be sure that the resident's of this new building will be at village board meetings calling for an end to the noise and congestion around the gazebo," said Preuss. "It is the responsibility of our village board to protect this historic area and the activities that have become the pride of Villa Park." | ||
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Prairie Path group rips bike lockers The non-profit organization that oversees the Illinois Prairie Path is not pleased with the bright blue bicycle lockers recently placed next to the trail in Villa Park, calling them, in effect, an unsightly advertisement for the company that donated them. The 20 chest-high lockers stand in two rows on the south side of the Illinois Prairie Path, between the Villa Park Historical Society Museum and the path's intersection with the Great Western Trail. Dasani, the water company, donated them and the 20 Trek Cruiser Classic bicycles they hold, and the word "Dasani" appears on each locker in white letters about 2 inches high. The Illinois Prairie Path's non-profit corporation, which watches over the 61 miles of the path, believes the lockers should be moved about a quarter-mile north to Lions Park. Path President Don Kirchenberg said his group was not consulted on the locker location, calling the stretch of land where they ended up "one of the most special areas on the Prairie Path." "The streetscape in Villa Park is an important part of the trail experience," he said. "The [IPP] board feels strongly that the Illinois Prairie Path, the Villa Park historic district and the Villa Park Historical Museum should be protected from any overly commercial placement like these blue Dasani bicycle lockers." Kirchenberg said that because there are no ads along the path now, other than at train stations the trail passes, he's afraid of the precedent the Dasani lockers set. The lockers and bikes--valued at about $52,000--were unveiled two weeks ago as part of DuPage County's first Bike Day. Villa Park residents who register with the Parks and Recreation Department can get free, 24-hour access to the bikes by swiping a card through a reader at one of the lockers. Villa Park Village Manager Bob Niemann said the lockers were placed in what the Village Board decided was the most logical place. "The people that are going to use them are going to be riding on the Prairie Path so you want to put it as close as you can," he said. Lions Park was ruled out for being off the beaten path, where vandalism might occur, he said, and because there wasn't a natural place for the lockers. The village might consider putting up shrubbery to block the view of the lockers, he said, but the board is otherwise pleased with the way the program has started out. "Quite frankly, unless you're looking for them, I don't think you even notice them," Niemann said. DuPage County has jurisdiction over the trail, but county spokesman Jason Gerwig had no comment because the lockers are on Villa Park property. Gail McGrew, president of the museum, said she had no objection to the lockers, but they did catch the eye Thursday of a Villa Park biker, who rolled closer to find out what exactly they were. "At first, I thought, it was a little small for outhouses," said the biker, who declined to give his name. He said he didn't have a problem with the lockers. ---------- | ||
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A past buried, but not forgotten Forest Preserve mounds provide link to culture, Standing in Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve, it's easy to imagine a time when people lived off the land. People built huts from bent saplings of Basswood trees and mats of Cattails. A time when people used bear and buffalo skins to keep warm. When ailments were cured with medicines created from herbs and other plants and water was taken from the nearby river; when villages would pick up and move together for long journeys on foot. It's easy to picture American Indians huddled inside their huts, cooking deer meat, and munching on berries, completely unaware of white, Western European culture. Evidence of the American Indian culture that once thrived in DuPage County remains at Winfield Mounds Forest Preserve, appropriately named for the three burial mounds discovered at the location nearly 100 years ago. The average resident visiting the preserve wouldn't know the mounds exist. The small, somewhat hidden preserve doesn't have a parking lot, and the mounds are not easily accessible. It's a 20-minute walk from Winfield Road in western DuPage to get to their location. To see the mounds visitors have to travel a gravel path, built on an old railroad bed, though the rails are no longer there. Then visitors have to cross a bridge over the west branch of the DuPage River, and hike through a large field, being careful of the yellow Parsnip, which reacts to sunlight and can cause a burning on the skin much like scalding water. It's not only hard to get to the mounds, they are also difficult to see and that's why it helps to have a guide who is knowledgeable of the site, like Jack MacRae, naturalist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Hidden under lush vegetation and thorny Elderberry and Raspberry bushes are three burial mounds. To the untrained eye they look to be small hills or just a rise in the forest floor. Many effigy mounds were made to look like an animal, such as a bear, turtle or snake, MacRae said. The mounds in Winfield are simply oval shaped, but are unique because they are the only ones in DuPage County, he said. "It's the only known Indian mounds in DuPage County. It's probably not the only ones, but it's the only known ones," MacRae said. Steph McGrath, senior curator with the DuPage County Historical Museum, said the mounds are unique to DuPage. Don Kirchenberg, president of the Illinois Prairie Path Corp., said the organization paid for the information signs at the site of the mounds because they found them to be a real attraction for path users. "They're unique to the area and they're a unique phenomenon," he said. "People don't really understand why they were built and how they were built." Uncovering a mystery After the American Indians moved on, the land was settled as farm land, last owned by the Player family, MacRae said. The family knew the mounds were there, he said, and grew concerned one day in 1926 when they saw vandals had dug through two of them. Three years went by before the family found someone who could take a real interest in the site. He was a Wheaton resident named Cook (there is no record of his first name), an archaeologist. After searches revealed little findings, archeologists from University of Chicago were contacted and came out to the site. In 1931, the university team made a real discovery in the untouched mound -- a cremated body, which had been folded into the fetal position and burned, MacRae said. The U of C team declared the site as an American Indian burial ground. But the mounds were forgotten for decades, until the Forest Preserve District took possession of the land in 1970 and decided to have the mounds re-examined. The district contacted Wheaton College, and a field archaeology class studied the site. The students found there was more to the site than just burial mounds. The team discovered evidence of an American Indian village -- a woodland people -- through pieces of pottery and tools, about 200 yards from the mounds, MacRae said. More than 2,000 artifacts were eventually found, and it was determined the village was between 1,000 and 2,000 years old. In the 1990s an independent archeologist from Aurora, Doug Kullen, came to the site. He found more evidence of a second village that came in about 500 years after the original group. Still much to be learned MacRae said many area residents know about the Potawatomi Indians of the area, but their time here was relatively short. The Potawatomi tribe actually came to the area about 300 years ago, which was well after the woodland people. But the woodland people were not the first inhabitants either, he said, adding people probably lived in the area for the past 12,000 years. Though experts know more about the mounds and the inhabitants of the area than they did almost 80 years ago, there are still many mysteries surrounding the find. One of the biggest mysteries is what was taken by the vandals in 1926, MacRae said. How old the person buried in the mounds was at the time of death and the person's gender are also unknown, he said. No one knows what happened to the remains removed by the University of Chicago, he added. Experts also are unsure why the village had moved only 100 yards away, he said. Another question is how there is evidence of an entire village, and only three burial mounds. "Why only three mounds?" he asked. "Where'd they bury everyone else? Don't know." MacRae said it's possible there are other burial mounds in the area, but probably not, adding science always changes and he can't be sure there aren't more. To avoid the yellow Parsnip and challenge of searching for the mounds, MacRae offers hiking tours in September and October, when the ground vegetation isn't as lush. "We technically think of it as a national treasure of a forest preserve," he said. "But this is one of the cultural treasures. Even if the mounds weren't here, it'd still be a beautiful forest preserve, but (the mounds) just add to the interest and value." Kirchenberg encouraged visitors to the mounds. "It's part of the understanding of what else is out there in the world," he said. "And enjoy a beautiful area and get some exercise." MacRae agreed the mounds are worth exploring. "Anytime you can have a link to the past, it's important to keep that," he said. Courtney Cavanaugh's e-mail address is: | ||
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Prairie Path gains honor from national
group A more than 40-year-old effort to provide a scenic recreational trail for DuPage County residents is earning attention from a national preservation group. The Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., this month named the Illinois Prairie Path its "Trail of the Month" for June. The path, established in 1963, includes a main 15-mile branch running between Maywood and Wheaton and has four connecting branches ending in Elgin and parts of Kane County. "(The path) is very established. It was one of the first railroad to trail conversions in the country, is incredibly popular, and brings a lot of tourists to the area," said Katie Magers, a media coordinator for the Conservancy, which regularly recognizes railroad-to-trail conversions on its Web site, www.railtrails.org. The organization recognized the path on the recommendation of one of the group's regional offices, she said. Part of the attraction to the path was its organized volunteer base. "(The path) has a very strong community group dedicated to maintaining the area," Magers said. Volunteer efforts have defined the path from its origins as a former railroad route abandoned in the early 1960s by the Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Railroad. DuPage County assumed ownership of the portion of the trail running through the county after the railroad company went out of business and sold its former tracks, said Don Kirchenberg, president of the Illinois Prairie Path nonprofit corporation. "(The former railroad) became used for many purposes after that, not many of them good," he added. "Trash was dumped there, cars were parked and abandoned there, and all sorts of (illegal activities) were taking place." The path's fortunes started to turn for the better when naturalist May Theilgaard Watts of Naperville wrote a letter to a Chicago newspaper published in 1963 calling for the path to be converted to a trail. A small group of volunteers joined Watts in establishing the path by cleaning up the surrounding area, defining the trail area, and placing a limestone surface on portions of the path, Kirchenberg said. The group's efforts continue today, as the organization continues to work on cleaning and surfacing portions of the path; as well as providing amenities including markers, directional signs and information kiosks. Members also regularly advocate for the preservation of natural plants and trees in the area. "(The Illinois Prairie Path) is a linear park; people appreciate the beauty of the area, the smooth surface, and the safe surroundings the path represents," Kirchenberg said. "It is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding communities. People can just take an hour or so to get away and use it." Several thousand people are estimated to use the path each year for hiking, bicycling and sightseeing. "We're very flattered and appreciate the recognition shown (by the national group) to the prairie path," Kirchenberg said. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was formed in 1986 and is dedicated
to creating a nationwide network of public recreational trails, Magers
said. Copyright (c) 2005, Liberty Suburban Chicago Newspapers | ||
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Prairie Path is featured trail on
Web site June 12, 2005 WESTERN SUBURBS -- Hikers and bikers have headed down the Illinois Prairie Path for decades. This month, it's also a featured destination for surfers on the Internet. The path was named June's rail-trail of the month by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a non-profit organization in Washington. The 61-mile trail spans three counties west of Chicago, linking 13 communities, downtown shopping districts, eight forest preserves, commuter rail stations and residential neighborhoods. Established 42 years ago, it was one of the country's first rail-to-trail conversions. The main stem runs about 15 miles from Maywood to Wheaton College. It then branches out in four directions to Elgin, Geneva, Batavia and Aurora, connecting in each place to the Fox River Trail. For a complete list of Trail of the Month designations, plus a detailed feature on the Illinois Prairie Path, go to www.railtrails.org. Copyright (c) 2005, Chicago Tribune |