January 2026 Newsletter

Happy New Year! We hope your 2026 has been off to a great start.

Tree Survey Update

In 2025, we began a native tree and shrub survey at the Heritage Quarries Recreation Area (HQRA). We covered the western half of the HQRA, surveying more than 2,500 native trees, and will continue working on the eastern half in 2026.

The woodland as a whole is quite young, so native mature trees are not common at the quarries. The HQRA was clear-cut for quarrying work in the early-mid 1800s. Though quarrying operations ceased in the early 20th century, aerial photos show that the HQRA remained mostly barren through the 1960s (check out these cool old aerial photos from the Illinois State Geological Survey - 1938, 1967). The most common native species for preservation at the HQRA are green ash, hackberry, American elm, and Eastern cottonwood; less common native species include silver maple, black cherry, and black walnut. The most common native shrubs were elderberry and chokecherry.

You can download a copy of the 2025 Tree Survey on our website (scroll down on the page). Please get in touch if you’d like to learn more!

Fish Survey Update

We also conducted a fish survey at The Forge Quarry with guidance from friends at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources last year. Based on the lake’s history, we suspected that the fish populations were imbalanced, similar to the Great Lakes Quarry. Through a multi-month survey where we amassed significant catch data, our suspicions were confirmed: the quarry lakes are overcrowded with bluegill, crappie, and bass. Largemouth bass are stunted in size, likely due to a lack of sufficient food, resulting in a large population of fish that are stuck in the 11-inch to 13-inch range. The Forge Quarry was an ideal waterbody for catch data due to its smaller size and similar water conditions to Great Lakes Quarry.

How do we rebalance the population of each species? Catch and eat more fish from the lakes. You can read the 2025 Fish Survey here. We will continue our survey work this year.

Quarry Care

Come join us for Quarry Care next Saturday, February 14th, 2026! We will be working on woody invasive species control near the Weeds to Seeds Education Pavilion (between parking lots 2 and 3). Buckthorn, honeysuckle, and tree-of-heaven will be our primary targets.

If you are new to Quarry Care, welcome! Quarry Care is a volunteer program that we host on the second Saturday of each month from October through June. Quarry Care volunteers can participate in the restoration and beautification of the Heritage Quarries Recreation Area through park conservation and clean-up projects, trail development and maintenance, special events support, and more! We hope you join us.