The Skokie River Prairie

LBOLA petitioned the Village Board in 1994 for permission to restore the village-owned 35 acres to the south as prairie and wetland. Years of volunteer effort have produced a spectacular result. The Skokie River Prairie was dedicated as an Illinois Land & Water Reserve by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC) in 2010.

LBOLA is steward of 13 conservancies, and the Skokie is the largest.

Lake Bluff Open Lands Association is totally funded by our community. No tax dollars support our efforts here. We depend on you!

For more information about LBOLA look at our website lbola.org. The calendar tab has upcoming workdays, and you can sign up for notifications of our special events. To provide financial support, click the Donations tab. Thanks!

Other Projects

Bike Path Prairie

Waving tall grasses, wildflower color and prairie heritage-the Bike Path Prairie welcomes visitors and residents to Lake Bluff.

The prairie stretches all the way from the water plant to the viaduct into town.

LBOLA was fortunate to find a receptive Lake County Dept. of Transportation agreeable to our 1999 request that the newly constructed bike path and underpass be planted with native prairie species.

Conservation Easements

The primary purpose of a conservation easement is to protect land from development. Lands for which conservation easements may be desirable include agricultural land, timber resources, and/or other valuable natural resources such as wildlife habitat, clean water, clean air, or scenic open space.

Although a conservation easement prohibits certain uses by the landowner, such an easement does not make the land public. LBOLA conforms to the Land Trust Alliance Standards and Practices.

LBOLA Easements are known by the last name of the donor. Our donors included: Bryan, Zenni, Schuler, Keller, O’Neil, Crab Tree Farm, and Dahlman.