Best Nature Preserve
Somme Prairie Nature Preserve is an ecological site located in Northbrook, Illinois, and managed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. It was established to protect and restore high-quality examples of mesic and wet prairie ecosystems, as well as oak savannas, which are native to the region. The p...
The Gensburg-Markham Prairie Nature Preserve is a protected natural area located within the Chicago metropolitan area of Illinois. Recognized as a National Natural Landmark, the preserve safeguards a high-quality remnant of mesic tallgrass prairie that survived regional urbanization. The site is uti...
Bluff Spring Fen Nature Preserve is a 94-acre protected natural area located in Cook County, Illinois, near the city of Elgin. It contains rare alkaline wetlands known as fens, fed by mineral-rich groundwater seeping through glacial gravel deposits. The preserve also includes dry gravel hill prairie...
Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve in Indiana is a 44-acre black soil tallgrass prairie remnant, recognized as one of the most pristine remaining examples of this rare ecosystem.
The Shoe Factory Road Prairie Nature Preserve is a protected natural area located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, dedicated to preserving a rare remnant of undisturbed gravel and dolomite prairie. This site, managed by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, represents one of the few remaining fr...
The Henry Allan Gleason Nature Preserve is a dedicated conservation area located in Mason County, Illinois. It is named after the American botanist and ecologist Henry Allan Gleason, who developed the individualistic concept of ecology. The preserve is ecologically significant for protecting undistu...
Romeoville Prairie Nature Preserve is a protected natural area in Will County, Illinois, situated within the Des Plaines River valley of the Chicago metropolitan region. The preserve conserves dolomite prairie, a rare grassland community that develops where thin soils overlay exposed Silurian-age do...
The Whaleback Esker is a glaciofluvial ridge located in Washington County, Maine, recognized for its distinct whale-back topographic profile. Composed of stratified sand and gravel, the ridge was formed by meltwater streams flowing through tunnels beneath the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last Ice...
Albany Pine Bush is an inland pitch pine-scrub oak barrens located in Albany, New York. Designated as a National Natural Landmark in 2014, this ecosystem represents one of the best remaining examples of an inland pine barrens. The preserve is home to the endangered Karner blue butterfly, which depen...
Madrona Marsh is a seasonal freshwater wetland and nature preserve located in Torrance, California. It is noted as a rare surviving vernal marsh habitat within the heavily developed Los Angeles metropolitan area. The marsh fills with water during the winter rainy season and dries out during the summ...
Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve is a protected conservation area located in Lake County, Indiana, within the Calumet region. The preserve is distinguished by its rare, remnant assembly of tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, and marsh wetlands, which were historically common in the region before industri...
Located in Ogle County, Illinois, Belmont Prairie Nature Preserve is a dedicated state preserve protecting a high-quality, undisturbed mesic prairie.
Loda Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve in Illinois protects high-quality undisturbed tallgrass prairie sod that survives within the bounds of a historic rural pioneer cemetery.
Sand Prairie Scrub Oak Nature Preserve in Illinois preserves a unique sand prairie and black oak savanna ecosystem situated on ancient glacial river terraces in Mason County.
Prospect Cemetery Prairie is an Illinois Nature Preserve established in 1976 that protects high-quality black soil prairie remnant within an historic cemetery.
