Description
History
In 1978, the Urbana Park District planted prairie seeds on a small piece of former farm field at Meadowbrook Park in southeast Urbana. Since 1984, the Champaign County Audubon Society has worked with the Park District to maintain and enrich the prairie plantings. Additional plantings from 1984 to 1993 added about 15 more acres. Final expansion of the prairie occurred in July of 1996, and the total area of the restored prairie now exceeds 60 acres. Meadowbrook Park now offers a glimpse of the former landscape of Illinois - the grasses that once stretched to the horizon - and the many species of wildflowers that by the millions colored the prairies yellow, pink, and white.
Description
A paved hiking and biking path circles the perimeter of the park, leading visitors from the mowed lawn surrounding the large playground along Windsor Road, through acres of tall and short grass prairie, over streams and into the back areas of the park where deer are sometimes seen, and hawks often circle overhead. Mowed paths lead hikers past beaver dams, and through the heart of the prairie area, to isolated areas where vistas of yellow coneflowers, baptisia, and penstemon cover acres of the landscape. Meadowbrook Park is a unique site. Located at the southeast corner of the twin cities of Urbana-Champaign, it is a large (130 acre) park that is predominantly a natural area that provides habitat for a wide range of plants and animals. The Urbana Park District policy for Meadowbrook designates it as a nature preserve. The park provides a beautiful counter-point to the 59-acre Busey Woods. This remnant of a prairie wooded grove is located in north Urbana. With these two sites, the Urbana Park District has preserved and recreated pieces of both major landscapes that the pioneers saw more than a century ago. In 1997, Meadowbrook Park, along with Busey Woods, was added to the Watchable Wildlife Program, and it is included in the Illinois Wildlife and Nature Viewing Guide.
Details
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Meadowbrook Prairie Through the Year |
| Pictures and descriptions of the prairie as it changes through the year. | |
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Meadowbrook Prairie Today |
| A frequently revised narrative of what you would see if you visited today. | |
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A Hike Through Meadowbrook Prairie |
| A virtual hike through the prairie in the summer or winter | |
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Where the Wild Things Are |
| A reprint of an article about the Meadowbrook Prairie from the Daily Illini. | |
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Prairie Plant List |
| A list of the plants growing at Meadowbrook Prairie. | |
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Map of Meadowbrook Park |
| A map showing trails and other features of the park. |
Links
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Champaign County Audubon Society |
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The Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois |
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Grand Prairie Friends |
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ideaLIST |
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Feng's Photo Gallery |
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Prairienet Home Page |
Credits
and Contacts
Photograph by Steven L. Mullen.
Web site conceived and written by Bob Vaiden, a volunteer with the Champaign County Audubon Society and the Urbana Park District. Web site designed and maintained by Steven L. Mullen, a Commissioner with the Urbana Park District. Web site founded 10/21/96. Last revision 12/14/00.
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Urbana Park District Main Web Site |