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Mola Tract

Location: Will County, Wilmington Township, T33N, R9E, Sec 13
Size of area affected by MSCSF-funded work: 65 acres
Owner: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
Partners: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, USACE, CorLands, Ducks Unlimited

Action: Restoring a more natural hydrology, planting of native seeds and plugs, controlling herbaceous invasive species, removing and chipping of trees and stumps.

Summary: The farmland at the Mola Tract was added to the already substantial acreage of Midewin in 2000, when it was bought from a private owner with assistance from CorLands and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation 2000 grant program. With the property in row crop agriculture for decades it is a start from scratch restoration, requiring the disabling of tiles, brush and tree removal, and the planting of both seeds and seedlings of native plants. It also has required aggressive follow-up control of invasive plants, particularly Canada thistle.

The plugs of native seedlings have taken well, already prairie coneflower, milkweed and other wildflowers make a summer show. Midewin staff is planning on conducting the first prescribed burn of the site in either the fall of 2005 or spring of 2006.