Parks and Recreation
LeVasseur Park Restoration
Kankakee Valley Park District
Kankakee County, Illinois
LeVasseur Park is an ecologically important native oak savanna and one of Kankakee Valley Park District’s finest gems. In 2007, the restoration of this park began with the clearing of honeysuckle and other invasive woody species. Removing the brush exposed the ground to more sunlight. In the spring of 2008 and again in 2009, LRMG conducted prescribed burns to clear the ground of dead material. Together these management activities provided the necessary conditions for the seeds waiting in the soil to germinate and carpet the woodland in wildflowers.
Crete Community Nature Park
Holland Company
Crete, Illinois
LRMG Scope:
- Corporate Campus Planning
- Wetland Restoration Design & Engineering Plans
- Meeting Facilitation
- Interpretive Signage, Renderings, and Brochure Development
- Funding Applications Preparation
- ACOE Permitting & Land Entitlement Coordination
- Natural Area Restoration and Management
Crete Community Nature Park is really the evolution of one company’s concern for the environment turning into a civic project. Initially, this project started as a routine wetland delineation for a parking lot expansion for Holland Company, a private company that provides engineering solutions for the railroad industry. They owned regionally critical marsh adjacent to their corporate campus. Since it lies in the North American Migration Mississippi Flyway, it teemed with migratory birds even though the habitat and hydrology were suffering.
LRMG was hired to develop site layout and engineering plans for the wetland. The plans offer the following:
- Greenhouse with full utilities primarily for educational programs revolving around wetland and ecological studies
- Native sensory garden to encourage intimate interaction with native plants
- A looping multi-use trail, including boardwalks, for outdoor recreation and exercise
- Interpretive signage to educate visitors about relevant environmental matters
- A pergola and shelter with benches for shade and quiet introspection
- Parking and trail connection to regional trail system
The project grew into a civic effort whereby the Holland Company has paid for the engineering and planning to turn this marsh into a central downtown nature park for Crete.
Over the past four years LRMG has guided the project through this evolution. In addition to the plans, LRMG coordinated the ACOE permitting and entitling of the land to become an enduring conservation easement. Brochures of the future park were created to help people visualize the scope of the project. These were used at meetings LRMG facilitated for the Village of Crete, Crete Park District, Holland Company, and other stakeholders.
The River Basins Initiative will oversee the long-term stewardship of the ecology and raise funds for grants. The Crete Park District and Village of Crete are in full support of this project and are in the process of taking on a leadership role in terms of providing public infrastructure for the park. Restoration has been underway with a prescribed burn in the springs of 2008 and 2009 knocking back the invasive reed canary grass and common reed that dominated the site. Also, native plants have been installed on the peninsula, a demonstration trail has been built, and a section of boardwalk installed, all under LRMG’s continuous management.
Kankakee Riverfront Parks
Master Plan
Kankakee Valley Park District
Kankakee County, Illinois
LRMG has compiled an inventory of existing amenities and current conditions of the parks located along the Kankakee River within the Kankakee Valley Park District.
We have created a master plan to improve the look and function of the parks while lowering overall maintenance costs. Proposed components of the plan include new interpretive and directional signage, invasive/exotic species removal, and riverbank restoration and enhancement.
Funding for more detailed design as well as planning and implementation will be provided through grants, submitted by LRMG for the Kankakee Valley Park District, and local matching funds. The surrounding communities (City of Kankakee, Village of Bradley, and Village of Bourbonnais) will benefit from increased access to the Kankakee River, which will increase leisure and sporting activities. The proposed improvements will allow residents the opportunity to more fully experience, understand, and appreciate the extraordinary natural resource in their own backyard.