The Land Conservancy of McHenry County recently acquired 300 acres of land near Bull Valley. The nonprofit organization has plans to turn the land into a nature park, while preserving its five miles of bridle trails. (Provided by Lisa Haderlein with the Land Conservancy of McHenry County)
A 300-acre farm near Bull Valley, host of various natural and wildlife, as well as several miles of bridle trails, could soon be home to a nature park.
The Land Conservancy of McHenry County, a nonprofit working to protect the county’s natural areas, acquired the plot of land, called the Thompson Road Farm, earlier in March. The land amounts to almost 324 total acres and sits near the intersections of Thompson Road and North Fleming Road along Route 120.
The acquisition is the biggest in the non-profit’s history, said Lisa Haderlein, group’s executive director. The land had predominantly been home to private farms and horse riding trails dating back to the mid-20th century.
“Natural resources are at the heart of Bull Valley,” Haderlein said. “Being able to preserve this, … it anchors the whole character of the community.”
The project to turn the land into a park will be a multi-year one, Haderlein said, but the aim is to have at least some access to the land ready this year. It will be opened on a “limited basis” while the initial ecological restoration takes place, the group said in a news release this month.
Before it can be opened to the public, some work will need to be done. In its history, about half of the area was originally a wetland that was drained for farming. In the coming months and years, Haderlein said the goal will be to help the wetlands reestablish themselves.
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