As part of the Chicago Region Carbon Program, the McHenry County Conservation Foundation is partnering with the McHenry County Conservation District to preserve about 70 acres of mature oak and hickory woodland at the former Camp Lakota in Woodstock, IL. These woodlands contain significant stands of white, red, and bur oaks, with some limited numbers of hills oak, swamp white oak, and pine plantation.

The project area was acquired by the McHenry County Conservation Foundation in June 2021, and will be transferred to the McHenry County Conservation District by 2026. The goal is for the Camp Lakota forest to become part of McHenry County Conservation District’s Brookdale Conservation Area. Visited by more than 11,000 people annually, Brookdale is a 1,645-acre site that offers visitors the opportunity to hike, horseback ride, fish, cross country ski, snowshoe, or picnic. Expanding Brookdale to include the Camp Lakota grounds will expand recreation opportunities and increase habitat, allowing species that are sensitive to genetic isolation to maintain viable populations.

This project is part of the Chicago Region Carbon Program (CRCP) and complements other tree planting and preservation projects in the seven-metro counties supervised by the Chicago Region Trees Initiative. Projects in the 2023 CRCP cohort include:

• Old Mill Forest
• Kenney Addition to Lind-McGeachie Forest Preserve

More information soon.

More information soon.