Grant Supports Trail Signs at Dixon Refuge

Image courtesy of the News Tribune

A grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will add educational signs at the Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes south of Hennepin, according to The Wetlands Initiative.

The signs will be placed along the new Marquis Oak Ridge Trail, which received full funding in 2015 from Marquis Energy of Hennepin. The 2.7-mile hiking and biking trail leads from the north end of the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge south to the center of the site, where it loops around the 70-acre Oak Ridge area. Major construction has been completed and the trail will officially open in 2016.

The signs will have information about drainage, history, marsh, upland savanna as well as photos of plants and wildlife. Three other signs about prairie and wetland will be placed near the north end of the Marquis Oak Ridge Trail, made possible by Dynegy Hennepin Power Station and individual donors.

The Dixon Waterfowl Refuge was created in 2001 and is owned and managed by The Wetlands Initiative along with natural resource agencies. The site now has more than 3,000 acres and is open to the public 365 days a year. For information visit www.wetlands-initiative.org or call (312) 922-0777.

Source: News Tribune