tribution. In fact, tallgrass prairie is one
of the most depleted ecosystems in the
world.
In Illinois, a good portion of what
remains is found almost exclusively along
the railroad corridors that crisscross
swaths of intensely farmed, highly prized
agricultural land. When settlers first
arrived, farmers considered the prairie
land a nuisance with its insects, its alter-
nating wet and dry seasons, and its plants
boasting taproots dozens of feet deep and
several inches wide.
By the early 1800s, they realized that
the prairies were among the most fertile
agricultural lands in the world. And by
then they had the tools they needed to
F
rom a distance, the flow-
ers and grasses growing
alongside the old highways
and roads in East Central
Illinois can look remarkably
like dense stands of nuisance
weeds. But those who take
the time to stop and get
out of their car for a closer look will be
rewarded with bursts of color and a vari-
ety of leaf shapes and sizes from hundreds
of species of wildflowers and tallgrasses—
some that can tower up to eight feet.
ese are the remnants of the tallgrass
prairies that once covered more than 60
percent of the state and now stand at less
than 0.01 percent of their original dis-
SAVING
AMERICA’S
By Elizabeth Striano
Illinois leaders and rail-trail advocates work to restore a dwindling ecosystem
drain the wetlands and cut through the
dense prairie sod. So began the removal of
the prairies in the Midwest to make way
for agriculture—particularly corn and
soybean farms—which now dominates
the state.
Local trail developers and conserva-
tionists have recognized the potential to
convert the corridors in their midst to
multi-use trails and thus, they hope, to
permanently protect a disappearing natu-
ral treasure—tallgrass prairies.
Unused railroad corridors have been
purchased, trail plans have been made,
and long-nurtured dreams have begun to
unfurl. e battle is ongoing, however,
and fingers are crossed as one rail-trail is
PRA
8
rails
to
trails
winter.16
