March 2026
Mike Brien, Director of Natural Resources for the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, will give an update on the success of salvaging prairie sod and topsoil from Bell Bowl Prairie after part of the prairie was destroyed in March 2023 to construct a service road at Chicago Rockford International Airport. The forest preserve staff was permitted to salvage the sod and topsoil removed from the prairie, rescue plants and roots and incorporate them into an ongoing prairie restoration project at the nearby Cedar Cliff Forest Preserve.
Mike led the rescue operation for the FPWC and will discuss the salvage process, the results from floristic surveys completed in the project area, and ongoing management of the preserve unit where the soil was translocated.
Mike has been practicing ecological restoration throughout northern Illinois and western Michigan for more than 10 years. He has worked for the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County since 2020 and is currently the Director of Natural Resources where he oversees the management and restoration of the 45 preserves. Mike is a lifelong resident of Winnebago County and is a self-professed “plant nerd.”
The in-person program is free and open to the public. For more information or to arrange an interview call Jerry Paulson, 815-222-4414.