Press Release received from Barrington Area Conservation Trust:

L.L. Bean and The Barrington Area Conservation Trust (BACT) recently sponsored a weekend winter hike, offering area residents and families the opportunity to see a gravel hill prairie up close, right in Barrington’s back yard.

Gravel hill prairies are island-like patches of prairie vegetation occurring on otherwise wooded steep slopes that face south or southwest. This type of hill prairie is very rare, with only a handful in existence in Illinois, with one being right in the Barrington area. The gravel hill prairie in Barrington Hills is on private property and was generously opened for families to enjoy.

About 30 hikers met at St. Mark’s Church in Barrington at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 21 to participate in a two-hour hike through the picturesque prairie. Members from BACT and L.L. Bean took turns explaining the science behind the gravel hill, the benefits of being outdoors and the appropriate clothing to wear for outdoor activities. The group also observed animal tracks and the unique prairie hill soil and flora. On the way back to the meeting place, hikers pitched in to pick up and bag any trash they found along the way, leaving the landscape even more beautiful than they found it.

BACT thanks L.L. Bean and its staff for participating in and promoting its Winter Walk.

The BACT’s mission is to preserve our community’s rare and exceptional open spaces for current and future generations. Since 2001, the Barrington Area Conservation Trust has protected nearly 500 acres in Barrington and has more than 300 members, volunteers, high school teens, and community organizations engaged in its work. Please visit our website to find out more about what we do and to discover our volunteer events, such as our Restoration Workdays, held the first and third Sunday of the month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. We welcome members and newcomers alike.

For more information on BACT or to sign up for events, visit www.bactrust.org or call 847.387.3149.

Contact: Emily Solberg, Project Coordinator, 847-387-3149, emily@bactrust.org

PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Bodkin