Volo Bog State Natural Area
Encyclopedia
The Volo Bog State Natural Area is a 1,150 acre (4.5 km²) quaking bog
maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
(Illinois DNR). It is a National Natural Landmark
as the only remaining open-water quaking bog in Illinois
. It is located about a mile west of U.S. Route 12
between the towns of Volo
and Fox Lake, Illinois
.
into a bog.
As the sphagnum mat aged and thickened, the developing bog (already poorly-drained) became acid
ic. The bog's changing pH
levels encouraged the growth of other acid-loving plant species, such as leatherleaf, certain specialized orchids, and coniferous tamarack trees. The develop of a tamarack grove on the edge of the bog signaled further change in the wetland.
By historic times, Volo Bog was deep into the process of plant succession. While the center of the bog remained a pool of open water, shallower sections of the sphagnum-moss cushion had begun to provide a substrate for the growth of woody plants, such as tamaracks and poison sumac
. The edges of the bog were further developing from a bog into a slightly drier wetland
.
A state-owned protective zone around the bog displays further stages of plant succession. The entire state park displays a microcosm of plant succession, from bog, through wetland, to sedge
-grass
meadow
.
in 1921.
As the 1900s moved forward, population growth in the greater Chicago area placed Volo Bog under threat from residential development. The Illinois chapter of the Nature Conservancy purchased the 47.5 acres (192,225.9 m²) bog itself and donated it to the University of Illinois
in 1958. The university served as the bog's custodian from 1958 until 1970.
Growth in public sensitivity toward ecological
concerns in the 1960s led to fears that the bog could not survive as an isolated unit. It became clear that the wetlands and meadows surrounding the bog formed an essential element in the survival of the bog itself, as well as serving as a teaching tool for plant succession. In 1970, with widespread local public support, the University of Illinois transferred the bog to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the state of Illinois began purchasing parcels of land surrounding the bog to create the current 1150 acres (4.7 km²) park.
Volo Bog was listed as a National Natural Landmark in 1973. One of the wetland farm's original, circa 1900 dairy barn
s was renovated and reopened as the bog's Visitor Center in 1980.
Work since 1980 has concentrated on rebuilding and maintaining trails throughout the bog, increasing the accessibility of the bog and visitor center for persons with disabilities, and operating continuing ecology-education programs for adults and schoolchildren.
Volo Bog State Natural Area currently offers two major trail
s. An elevated, 0.5-mile (0.8 km) boardwalk
leads from the Visitor Center into the bog itself. A 2.75-mile (4.4 km) ground trail circles through the wetlands and meadows surrounding the bog.
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
maintained by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
(Illinois DNR). It is a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
as the only remaining open-water quaking bog in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is located about a mile west of U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
between the towns of Volo
Volo, Illinois
Volo is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was incorporated as a village on 26 April 1993. The population was 2,929 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Volo is located at ....
and Fox Lake, Illinois
Fox Lake, Illinois
Fox Lake is a village in Grant Township, Lake County, Illinois and Richmond Township, McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 9,178 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
Bog biology
The bog itself is 47.5 acres (0.2 km²) in size. It was originally a steep-sided lake created by the melting of a large chunk of glacial ice at the end of the Wisconsonian glaciation. About 6,000 years before the present, a mat of sphagnum moss began to grow out into the water, playing a major role in the evolution of this geological feature from a lakeLake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
into a bog.
As the sphagnum mat aged and thickened, the developing bog (already poorly-drained) became acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
ic. The bog's changing pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
levels encouraged the growth of other acid-loving plant species, such as leatherleaf, certain specialized orchids, and coniferous tamarack trees. The develop of a tamarack grove on the edge of the bog signaled further change in the wetland.
By historic times, Volo Bog was deep into the process of plant succession. While the center of the bog remained a pool of open water, shallower sections of the sphagnum-moss cushion had begun to provide a substrate for the growth of woody plants, such as tamaracks and poison sumac
Poison Sumac
Poison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans...
. The edges of the bog were further developing from a bog into a slightly drier wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
.
A state-owned protective zone around the bog displays further stages of plant succession. The entire state park displays a microcosm of plant succession, from bog, through wetland, to sedge
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
-grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
.
Bog history
During the 1800s, Volo Bog was known to neighbors but not to outsiders. While the damp meadows surrounding the bog provided pasturage for a dairy farm, the bog itself was not economically utilized. The first field study mentioning Volo Bog was published by W.G. Waterman of Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1921.
As the 1900s moved forward, population growth in the greater Chicago area placed Volo Bog under threat from residential development. The Illinois chapter of the Nature Conservancy purchased the 47.5 acres (192,225.9 m²) bog itself and donated it to the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1958. The university served as the bog's custodian from 1958 until 1970.
Growth in public sensitivity toward ecological
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
concerns in the 1960s led to fears that the bog could not survive as an isolated unit. It became clear that the wetlands and meadows surrounding the bog formed an essential element in the survival of the bog itself, as well as serving as a teaching tool for plant succession. In 1970, with widespread local public support, the University of Illinois transferred the bog to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the state of Illinois began purchasing parcels of land surrounding the bog to create the current 1150 acres (4.7 km²) park.
Volo Bog was listed as a National Natural Landmark in 1973. One of the wetland farm's original, circa 1900 dairy barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
s was renovated and reopened as the bog's Visitor Center in 1980.
Work since 1980 has concentrated on rebuilding and maintaining trails throughout the bog, increasing the accessibility of the bog and visitor center for persons with disabilities, and operating continuing ecology-education programs for adults and schoolchildren.
Volo Bog State Natural Area currently offers two major trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s. An elevated, 0.5-mile (0.8 km) boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
leads from the Visitor Center into the bog itself. A 2.75-mile (4.4 km) ground trail circles through the wetlands and meadows surrounding the bog.