Washington, Sep 19 -

U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Morris) today introduced legislation, H.R. 6944, to expand the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County.  The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Expansion Act ensures the 3,750-acre Joliet Arsenal U.S. Army Training Area near Elwood is transferred to the U.S. Forest Service and Will County when its Army use has ended.

“The Joliet Training area represents our last best chance to set aside a large parcel of unused land for open space and wildlife habitat,” said Weller.  “When we passed my legislation into law in 1996 redeveloping the Joliet Arsenal, it directly referred to this parcel of federal property to be eventually incorporated into the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.”

“Transferring the land now fulfills Congress’s original intent for the land to be included in what many of us call Will County’s own ‘Central Park.’”

Under Weller’s plan, approximately 3,450 acres of the property would then be part of the adjoining Midewin.  Approximately 350 acres would go to Will County, for use by law enforcement and eventually federal agents for the purposes of training.  The plan does not exempt the Army from any clean-up obligations spelled out in Weller’s Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995, which created the Deer Run Industrial Park, Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, and Midewin.

“Even while the focus of my plan is the environmental benefit of expanding Midewin, our efforts to provide a safe and secure homeland are also aided by the land to be designated to the Will County Sheriff’s Department,” said Weller.  “Will County is the fastest growing county in Illinois, and as development pressures swallow up open space and farmland, we must move quickly to preserve parcels as valuable as the U.S. Army Training Area. 

“The effort to redevelop the Arsenal and create the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was not the work of just one individual, but of many volunteers, and community and political leaders,” Weller said.  “My hope is that the Congress will take up this legislation this year and expand Will County's central park by adding almost 3,500 acres to the 19,000 acres already set aside for posterity.”

Background of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

When President Clinton signed Rep. Weller’s Illinois Land Conservation Act into law on February 10, 1996, it created the largest tallgrass prairie of its kind in the nation.

Known as the "Gift to Future Generations," the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is rapidly becoming a national model for environmental redevelopment.  The first national prairie east of the Mississippi, large scale efforts to restore the natural prairie and improve facilities at Midewin continue today.  The United States Forest Service has continued to acquire parcels of land adjacent to the Midewin as part of the overall rehabilitation program for the prairie and wetlands.  The prairie is currently open to visitors by tour at this time, and as the cleanup of the prairie continues will be open eventually to all without tour guides. 

The long term development plan includes restoring the prairie on old crop fields by replanting native species of plants.  Given the scale of the Midewin’s prairie restoration program, immense amounts of plant material will be needed.  Planners at Midewin grow much of the seed and plants on sight. 

Several fields planted with seed beds and prairie grass fields are serving as a plant source.  Eventually, there will be approximately 200 acres of beds producing seed for at least 350 species of native plants.  This diversity will allow restoration of woodlands, savannas, prairies and wetlands at Midewin.