A major restoration project planned to start Dec. 20 at the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve in Wheaton will prompt temporary trail closures.
Once the work starts, a section of the Green Heron Trail from Warrenville Road to the intersection to the Danada-Herrick Lake Regional Trail to the northeast is expected to close through April 2022. The project will also lead to intermittent closures of the spur to Warrenville Road, but the Danada-Herrick Lake Regional Trail connecting Herrick Lake to Danada Forest Preserve will remain open.
Project Scope
The restoration will consist of cutting and removing invasive trees and shrubs and applying herbicides to the cut stumps. Project leaders may create and burn brush piles on site, and crews will be conducting beneficial prescription burns. In addition, wetland and prairie areas may be mowed.
Restoration Work Timeline
If the project goes according to plan, the restoration will primarily be done in December, January and February. But mechanical and follow-up work may be completed in the spring and summer if needed.
Other closures may occur as the restoration progresses over the next three years.
The project is listed as part of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s Master Plan.
Moving Forward
Once complete, the restoration is expected to improve ecological conditions on 550 acres of the 887-acre preserve, as well as create nearly 1,000 acres of restored habitat between Herrick Lake and Danada, which officials say would make for the largest restored tract in DuPage County.
Naperville News 17’s Megann Horstead reports.
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Rendering provided by Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
