Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
| Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
|
|
 Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
|
|
| Location | Grundy County, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Morris, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°22′03″N 88°17′50″W / 41.36750°N 88.29722°WCoordinates: 41°22′03″N 88°17′50″W / 41.36750°N 88.29722°W |
| Area | 2,537 acres (1,027 ha) |
| Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area is a 2,537-acre (1,027 ha) state park and listed state nature preserve. More than half of the state park is a tallgrass prairie maintained as a natural area of Illinois. It is located in Grundy County near the town of Morris, approximately 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Chicago.
The Goose Lake region formed in the post-Wisconsin glaciation period as a flat, wet area dominated by layers of sand and silt laid down by postglacial outwash. The Des Plaines River and Kankakee River converge near here to form the Illinois River.
Until heavily exploited for its natural resources during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Goose Lake area was a stable wetland, with swathes of prairie grass surrounding the shallow Goose Lake. The region is in the Central forest-grasslands transition ecoregion.
The Goose Lake area has historically been a favorite place for hunting, fishing, and gathering, with geese, ducks, and other waterfowl; a wide variety of fish and shellfish; and wet-footed game such as beaver and muskrat.
While the flat, alluvial soil of this riparian bottomland was intensely fertile, the lack of adequate drainage made the land of the Goose Lake country unsuitable for subdivision for agriculture. A different fate awaited much of it.
...
Wikipedia