Our Mission
The Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards are dedicated to restoring and preserving biodiversity in the Forest Preserves of Cook County and to inspiring all people to cherish the biodiversity of those lands.
Where We Work
The lands we work to restore are all located within the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s Arthur L. Janura Preserve in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The specific sites we focus on are the Carl R. Hansen Woods and the Schaumburg Roads Grasslands. Our protected natural areas—the Poplar Creek Land and Water Reserve and the Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve—are both located within the Carl R. Hansen Woods preserve.
Our History
PCPS began our work in 1989 as a joint effort between the Forest Preserves of Cook County, The Nature Conservancy, and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission. We began our work to return native plant communities in the Carl Hansen/Poplar Creek Forest Preserve in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. Native tallgrass prairie and woodland communities have made a comeback on this former farm site thanks to the dedication of our stewards.
This original restoration site incorporates the nine-acre Shoe Factory Road Nature Preserve, a virgin gravel hill prairie. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, “Shoe Factory Road Prairie is a dry to dry mesic gravel prairie perched on the crest and slopes of a glacial deposit or kame of sand and gravel. The well-drained glacial deposits and the orientation and exposure of the slopes to the mid-day sun and wind combine to create a hot, dry habitat for prairie plants. Plants found at Shoe Factory Road Prairie that are especially well adapted for this harsh environment include little bluestem, sideoats gramma, northern dropseed and porcupine grass. Over 100 prairie species have been identified at this site,” which was dedicated as the tenth Nature Preserve in Illinois in 1965.
In 2009, we began active management of the Schaumburg Road Grasslands, also a part of the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve. This site is a mixture of restored prairie and old-growth oak-hickory woodlands, dotted with numerous ephemeral and perennial ponds, sedge meadows, and fens. There are small areas of remnants under the oaks, including one that has over 80 woodland plant species. This site is home to numerous grassland, shrubland, and woodland bird species.
In 2023, 572 acres of our original restoration was dedicated by the FPCC and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission as the Poplar Creek Land and Water Reserve. Recognition of this treasure of restored prairie and woodland provides extra legal protection and is a testament to the efforts of our volunteers to restore high-quality biodiversity to these old agricultural fields and pastures.
In 2023 we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit so that we could receive donations and grants to take the next step forward in our restoration efforts.
Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards 