Located in a portion of Wheatland Township that was settled by people from Vermont, the historic Vermont Cemetery Nature Preserve protects one of the highest-quality prairie remnants in the state from plowing and topsoil loss.

The one-acre cemetery was donated to the District in 1998 by the Natural Land Institute after being saved by the late Dr. Robert Betz in the 1960s. The preserve has since grown to over 25 acres.

The cemetery was dedicated as a State Nature Preserve in 1999 in recognition of its important Grade A (the highest quality) dry-mesic prairie and rare species, including the federally threatened and state-endangered Mead's milkweed. The fire-dependent prairie is being maintained by prescribed burns and invasive plant species control.

The District is developing an access area on Normantown Road in 2012, which will include a trailhead, an overlook of the cemetery, and a one-mile segment of multi-use asphalt trail connecting to the Naperville Park District's Virgil Gilman Trail. View more information about this project.

Photograph Courtesy of Ron Molk