Situated in a far corner of the 2,200 acres Del Webb Sun City property is a natural treasure which supporters would like to see improved.
The group, Friends of Del Webb Nature Preserve, are happy with support they received for installation of a trail, at the June 25 Sun City Board of Directors meeting.
Following the Board of Directors meeting, resident and Friends of Del Webb Nature Preserve leader Amy Sanecki said the board agreed to install a path to the oak savanna, along with other amenities such as picnic tables.
“I am thankful that the Board of Directors will do this for us,” Sanecki said.
Sun City Board of Directors President Bill Niemasz provided a statement to My Sun Day News regarding the board’s action.
“The motion approved by the Board was ‘The Board of Directors hereby acknowledges the recommendation from the Faciitiss Advisory Committee but modifies the Nature Preserve reserve budget to be $15,000 earmarked for a Nature Preserve trail continent upon approval of a plan from the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission (INPC) and as required by any other Illinois governmental agency.’”
Friends of Del Webb Nature Preserve
Sanecki and a group of like-minded residents – Friends of Del Webb Nature Preserve – believe the Del Webb Sedge Meadow and Grove Nature Preserve, a 20-acre site, is ready for improvements.
“We will be addressing such topics as uniqueness, volunteers, small investment, amenities in general, history, benefits of nature, shareholder involvement, legacy and community usage,” Sanecki said.
The site, which is owned by Sun City Homeowners Association,
was dedicated in 2009 and last year had a natural trail installed.
“There are several residents who would like to see the trail extended and further improved with wood chips and access to a nearby oak savanna,” Sanecki said during a site tour. “The area around the oak savanna is a beautiful, a great treasure. It would be real nice for birders. At the other side of the oak savanna, about a mile and a half away, there is 10 acres of wetland. Our group would be happy to volunteer and work toward greater biodiversity.”
Sanecki first learned of the Del Webb Sedge Meadow and Grove Nature Preserve at a Sun City Board of Directors meeting last spring. Sun City residents may visit the nature preserve, which is located adjacent to the Sun City Community Gardens. The residents’ group met June 20 for a brainstorming meeting at the site.
The supporters of the nature preserve have been working with Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC), whose regional representative recently saw the site.
“Neither the state nor the residents are obliged to do anything but the plan gives recommendations. In April there was a controlled burn here,” Sanecki said.
“There are oak trees, a sedge meadow, and a fen, which is a unique type of wetland that is created when groundwater flows out of a glacial deposit creating an environment that is rich in minerals, providing a habitat for rare and endangered plants and animals,” according to Sanecki.
Sanecki said the site also could be assisted by removal of invasive species such as Reed canary grass, which threaten to take over an area. That has been successful at other nature preserves, such as nearby Kishwaukee Fen Nature Preserve, which is near Redtail Golf Course in Lakewood.
“The mission of the INPC is to assist private and public landowners in protecting high quality natural areas and habitats of endangered and threatened species, in perpetuity, through voluntary dedication or registration of such lands into the Illinois Nature Preserves System,” according to the IPC web site. “The commission promotes the preservation of these significant lands and provides leadership in their stewardship, management and protection. Illinois is home to more than 600 rare wetlands, waters, wildlife habitats that have been legally protected at nature preserves. The biodiversity of these areas is still at risk and needs your help.”
Sanecki has been interested in nature preserves for a long time, including the Kane County Forest Preserve’s Rutland site near Huntley and the Volo Bog State Natural Area. A retired school librarian, she has earned certified naturalist status with Kane County Forest Preserve.
