The 543-acre Sand Ridge Savanna Preserve on the south side of Route 113 between Braidwood and Wilmington is the result of ongoing acquisition since 1990.

The central core of the site was dedicated as a State Nature Preserve in 1993: “The Sand Ridge Savanna is a diverse high-quality sand prairie and sand savanna ecosystem located in Will County. This 227.342-acre tract features high-quality sand prairie with a large population of the state-threatened tubercled orchid, and high-quality shrub prairie (a rare coastal plant community) with the state-endangered shore St. John’s wort and state-threatened narrow-leaved sundew. The site also contains a rich fauna of 41 prairie and savanna butterfly species, including two skippers (the black dash and the two-spot) that are on the Illinois watch list" (dedication proposal).

Management of the fire-dependent plant communities through prescribed burns started in 1992. An additional 12-acre prairie was created in 1993, 36.5 acres in 2000, seven acres in 2001, and 14.5 acres in 2003. Hydrology restoration and invasive species control started in 1996, and habitat enhancement started in 1996.

In 2011 and 2012, the District is performing invasive tree and brush control work in 62 acres of remnant sand savannas and wetlands in the western portion of the preserve. View more information about this project.


Preservation planning activities will continue to explore additional habitat connections west to the District’s Braidwood Dunes and Savanna Nature Preserve, north to the State’s Hitt’s Siding Nature Preserve, and expansion southeast to include an additional sand savanna; a link to Horse Creek; and connection to a future potential extension of Wauponsee Glacial Trail into Kankakee County.

Photograph Courtesy of Sarah Stephens