| Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
  Map of theU.S. state ofIllinois showing the location of Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak State Nature Preserve Show map of Illinois Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Mason County,Illinois,USA |
| Nearest city | Kilbourne, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 40°10′19″N90°04′48″W / 40.172°N 90.080°W /40.172; -90.080 |
| Area | 1,460 acres (5.9 km2) |
| Established | April 1970 (1970-04) |
| Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
TheSand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve, formerly called theMason County State Wildlife Refuge and Recreation Area, is a 1,460 acre (591 ha)State Natural Area andIllinois Nature Preserve located in westernMason County, Illinois. The nearest town isKilbourne, Illinois and the nearest numbered highway isIllinois Route 97. It contains fragmentary examples of the ecosystem described in its name.[1]
Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak is managed by theIllinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) as a state nature preserve. The preserve does not have on-site staff, and is managed as a disjunct area ofSand Ridge State Forest, a larger conservation area within the same county.[1]
Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak was purchased in 1969[2] and dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in April 1970.[1]
The Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Nature Preserve contains dry sand prairies, sand savannas, and sand forests.[1][3][2] The soil is approximately 95% sand, 4%silt, and 1% clay.[2]
A study published in 2008 found 393 species within the preserve.[2] Areas of savanna and forest are characterized byblack oak andblackjack oak, with somemockernut.[1] In a 2015 research and inspection fan-out, arborists discovered the first example ofdwarf chinkapin oak identified in Illinois.[4] Other unusual trees identified in the preserve include what are believed to be among the northernmost natural range trees ofblack hickory. Prairie grasses such aslittle bluestem, and sand plant life such aseastern prickly pear cactus, can be found.[1]
