Above / Park Meadow Project aims to improve small drainage areas in nine of 137 public parks in Naperville. Plus, the natural landscape likely will attract butterflies and other wildlife just as it does at May Watts Park. (PN File Photo)
In 2019 the Naperville Park District will begin a Park Meadow Project to improve its stewardship of park land. This initiative involves converting turf grass to meadow in strategic areas in 9 of its 137 parks.
The meadow areas will be planted with native wildflowers and low prairie grasses. The areas selected for conversion include stormwater detention sites and other areas that are occasionally wet and are not used for recreation. The areas range in size from .10 acre to 1.25 acre. The Park District intends to extend the project beyond 2019, converting a few more acres into meadow each year in other parks across the District.
Park Meadow Project will be introduced in following parks
North
Century Farms Park, 715 Sigmund Road
Olesen Estates, 1415 Dunrobin Road
Wil-O-Way Park, 1408 W. Jefferson Avenue
Central
Bailey Hobson Woods Park, 1184 Hobson Mill Drive
Buttonwood Park, 803 Buttonwood Circle
Willowgate Square, 408 Travelaire Avenue
South
Ashbury Greenway, 3475 Naperville Road
Brook Crossings, 1015 95th Street
Knoch Knolls Park, 320 Knoch Knolls Road
“Replacing turf grass with attractive plants that are native to Illinois has several benefits,” explained Director of Parks Kevin Finnegan in a news release. “With their deep roots, native plants help absorb and filter stormwater, cleaning it before it reaches our rivers. The plants also provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.”
The initiative will result in cost savings for the Park District in the long term, reducing the frequency of mowing, and eliminating the need for watering and fertilizing.
Work will begin at the selected parks in March, when the turf grass and any invasive plants will be cleared and temporary fencing installed. Once seedlings sprout in the spring, low plants and grasses will cover the area during the first growing season. The native plants gradually will fill in during the second and third years, with blooming flowers and a variety of low prairie grasses.
Naperville Park District since 1966
Created in 1966, the Naperville Park District is an independent, municipal agency serving the recreation needs of its residents. The District is one of only 1 percent of park districts across the country to be nationally accredited through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). The Naperville Park District’s mission is to provide recreation and park experiences that promote healthy lives, healthy minds and a healthy community. The District maintains and operates more than 2,400 acres with 137 parks and provides more than 1,500 recreational, arts and environmental programs and special events annually. Included within the District’s operations are two championship golf courses, a multitude of playgrounds, trails, athletic courts and sports fields, Fort Hill Activity Center, Knoch Knolls Nature Center, two inline skating and skateboarding facilities, the Millennium Carillon, a paddle boat quarry, historic Centennial Beach, and the beautiful Riverwalk.
Submitted by Sue Omanson for the Naperville Park District. (PN File Photos at May Watts Park)
