Trails of Woods Creek: From Birdies to Biodiversity
Golf courses may be green, but they lack the natural elements needed for native plants, animals, and insects to thrive. See how our Ecological Restoration team made transforming a golf course back into a natural area a hole in one.
A chip off the old block
When the Terrace Hill Golf Course closed in 2020, the real estate developer Pulte partnered with our Natural Resources team for wetland delineation services. As part of Phase I due diligence, this in-depth process combines detailed fieldwork and exhaustive research to determine a wetland’s size, location, and boundaries, as well as how its presence affects surrounding areas. These efforts help uncover not only the environmental impact of developing a site, but whether those actions would require lengthy permitting and budgetary hurdles.
Once we completed our 138-acre delineation, a USACE Jurisdictional Determination concluded that two of the golf course ponds were under Corps jurisdiction, due to their historic tributary association to Woods Creek, a watershed in Algonquin, IL. The golf course had buried pipes for stormwater management, but this discovery kicked off a plan to enhance and restore the former golf ponds back into their native vegetation. After 50 years, reconnecting the ponds to the nearby open channel creek became an opportunity to create natural, beautiful stormwater detention areas.
Creating new greens
Moving forward with the new neighborhood development, Pulte donated the 26-acre wetland area to the Village of Algonquin for a conservation easement. While these areas are typically turned over to a homeowner’s associations to maintain, the Trails of Woods Creek sparked a unique arrangement: instead, the Village would oversee the land’s restoration and management. V3’s expert ecologists were kept on to apply our intimate knowledge of the site’s history and potential into a multiyear revitalization.
Wetland restoration projects often take a minimum of three years to meet USACE and local regulatory standards, but once our team got to work, we met requirements in year two. This success was attributed to V3’s detailed planting plan, native plant selection based on site specific hydrology, and experienced ecologists treating invasive species within the optimum treatment window. Additionally, with the site being a former meticulously maintained golf course the existing seed bank on the property was minimal, which may have reduced to lower weed pressure after the native prairie was seeded.
Designing around the natural environment was a major focus of this project. Using topographic and aerial maps dating back nearly 100 years, the site was designed to emulate the tributaries historic channel, reconnecting with the floodplain. Most subdivision stormwater basins are basic rectangles, but this system looks completely natural, as if the homes simply sprouted up alongside the water. This provides both stormwater management and aesthetic value, giving homeowners a beautiful view while receiving water quality benefits.
“Not many subdivisions have a 23-acre native area. Our nature-based design gives residents an opportunity to get away from it all and reconnect with nature. Wetlands provide so much value. It’s amazing to see, and we’re proud to have delivered a meaningful space on this large scale.”
Brian McKee, Project Manager
V3 is currently in year four of this project, conducting ongoing maintenance on over 31,000 native plant plugs.
Over the course of this project, we’ve provided the following services:
Wetland delineation
Wetland permitting
Threatened and endangered species consultation
Stormwater permitting
Native area design
Native area management and monitoring
Work with V3’s Ecological Restoration experts
Our team uses nature-based solutions to bring native areas back to life. Connect with us to learn more.
