Land of Oz article link

Did you see the article in the Monday, January 11th NW Herald about TLC's purchase of a 60 acres we are calling the Land of Oz?

This is only the third time TLC has purchased land -- we only buy land when it is on the county natural areas inventory, and either too small or isolated to be purchased by the Conservation District. Otherwise, we leave the land-buying to them, and focus on work with private landowners.

Let's face it, land is expensive, the District has the money, and they are really good at acquisition. On the other hand, because of Linda Balek, TLC excels at working with private landowners to help them leave their legacies of land for future generations.

But, that brings us back to the Land of Oz. We purchased 60 acres of (mostly) wetland for $270,000, and will undertake restoration in the coming years. There is a lot of reed canary grass growing out there, BUT, there are also these amazing pockets of natural sedge meadow that have no reed canary. The pockets are dominated by blue joint grass, sedges, wetland forbs, and all the things one would expect to find in a natural sedge meadow.

The goal of TLC's restoration will be to connect the dots -- to expand the extent of the high quality pockets to the point where they dominate the site.

We decided to name the site the Land of Oz after the long-time owner, Nat Ozmon. But, the name fits for other reasons as well. Like Baum's Land of Oz, this place would only be found by accident, as when the Wizard's balloon blew off course and in to the Emerald City. It is otherwise inaccessible, and hidden from view due to topography. The Land of Oz lies at the bottom of a basin, and does not have direct frontage on any road.

Our local Land of Oz is also a place of wonder - a place where surprises lie around each bend.

We haven't seen any munchkins yet! Or cowardly lions. But I bet there are plenty of frogs & salamanders! We'll find out in the Spring - I hope you'll join us.

What's in a name?

I have a problem with a lot of the names of natural areas and parks. They just don't do anything to inspire me.

For example, Lions Park or Bailey Woods (named after the group or individual who donated the land) are pretty plain-sounding.

Some use words that sound Native American or French (or both) like Meredosia or Chautauqua or Emiquon (all Wildlife Refuges in Central Illinois), which harken back to an earlier era, but start to sound alike over time.

Some parks are named after an animal, plant or natural community that is found there, like Boloria Meadows in Bull Valley (named after a species of butterfly), which seems to take the risk of sounding like a subdivision (Turtle Crossing in Harvard comes to mind -- it's a subdivision, not a park where turtles cross...)

Other sites are named for the geographic location, as is TLC's Crowley Sedge Meadow which is located on Crowley Road near Harvard and TLC's Powers Creek Conservation Area (which could easily become the name of a subdivision by substituting "Estates" for "Conservation Area"...)

So, why am I rambling on about this whole issue of naming natural areas or parks? Well, just this week, TLC acquired the nicest remaining wet prairie in all of McHenry County, and now we need to come up with a name.

The site is currently known as "West Woodstock Prairie" (since it is on the west side of the City of Woodstock, and is a prairie). Yawn.

The property was originally bought for $50 in 1843 by a man named Peter O'Brien, so maybe "O'Brien's Meadow" is an option.

The property is located in the headwaters of Franklinville Creek, so how about "Franklinville Headwaters Preserve"? It is mostly a wet prairie, so maybe Franklinville Prairie Preserve?

The land sits at the base of a steep bluff, so maybe something like "West Woodstock Bottoms" would be appropriate? Or "Franklinville Bottoms"?

You see the challenge! Now, if someone came along and made a donation to cover the costs of buying the site, we could just name it after him or her: TLC's Jane Smith Praire Preserve!

Just a thought.