Wampum Lake

Wampum Lake forest preserve is located in south suburban Cook County near Thornton, Illinois. At 412-acres it includes the Wampum Lake Nature Preserve, a mosaic of sand seep, freshwater marsh, dry-mesic upland forest, wet floodplain forest and an eroding bluff community located along Thorn Creek which runs through the west side of the preserve and flows to the northwest side of the lake. The lake itself has nearly one mile of shoreline. The site includes a mix of creekside habitat, savannah, woodlands and floodplain forest and also has natural springs that create wet, marshy areas in the woods, particularly in spring.   In this episode, Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River, interviews Kim Roman Natural Areas Protection Specialist for the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, and Maggie Jones, Conservation Programs Manager at Friends of the Chicago River.