Statistics
- Gross Acres (ga): 317.099
- Net Acres (na): 312.320
- Trails (Miles): 1.13 (Hiking and Biking)
- Wetlands (Acres): 20.99
- Agricultural (Acres): 207.51
Purchases
- Donnelley: 12/23/87 - 42.929 ga - (42.929 na) - Donation
- University of Chicago (Donnelley)*: 03/04/91 - 88.714 ga - (87.837 na) - $1,317,555.00
- Rehabilitation Institute (Donnelley)*: 03/04/91 - 48.750 ga - (48.135 na) - $722,025.00
- Tieken: 03/22/91 - 3.229 ga - (3.192 na) - $47,880.00
- Ketting: 12/09/92 - 133.573 ga - (131.573 na) - $1,806,257.20
- Total Cost: $3,893,717.20 + 42.929 acre donation
* The University of Chicago and Rehabilitation Institute parcels encompass land contained in both Casey Road North and Casey Road South. The acreage has been broken out based on location (North or South) and the price paid for the parcels has been divided in the same manner.
The Township Board has granted the Lake County Forest Preserve District a permanent easement over the trail corridor running through the entirety of the Casey Road North and Casey Road South sites. Although the existing trail connections must be maintained in perpetuity, the location of the trail may be altered.
Site Notes
Significant ecological restoration has occurred since 1997 along the Bull's Brook stream corridor which is within the Oak Openings Nature Preserve (northwest corner) including invasive plant removal, native re-planting and streambank stabilizations. A small wetland detention basin was installed just south of the Arbor Vista Subdivision to better manage stormwater flows and reduce stream erosion. Two farm fields have been retired and replanted to prairie. The Oak Openings Nature Preserve serves as a protection buffer to the larger Almond Marsh Nature Preserve (owned by the Lake County Forest Preserve District).
Ecological Description (Applied Ecological Services, Inc. 1997)
The Donnelley [westernmost] parcel is on level to gently rolling, well drained to moderately well drained silt loam, with areas of silt clay loam that are mapped as poorly drained soils. These have been tiled and drained for crop production. The entire parcel, except for a narrow grassy drainage way has been planted to beans/corn. A small reed canary grass wet pocket lies next to Hwy 45 and is continuous with the drainage way. Oak Openings Nature Preserve borders the properties to the north.
The remaining area of the site lies on gently rolling, well drained to moderately well drained silt loam soils throughout 80% of the property. The balance is poorly drained silt clay loam occupying drainage ways and depressions. Much of the land is in corn/bean production. A 22-acre wetland mitigation bank, known as the Libertyville Kettle, has been constructed and planted to native emergent and wetland plant species. It occupies the north end of the Rehabilitation Institute land. Other cover types include unmowed fallowed fields and a restored oak savanna which is an Illinois Nature Preserve on the Ketting [far eastern] parcel.