Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area

State park in Illinois, USA

37°58′39″N 89°48′02″W / 37.97750°N 89.80056°W / 37.97750; -89.80056Area997 acres (403 ha)Established1970Governing bodyIllinois Department of Natural Resources

U.S. National Natural Landmark

Designated1986

Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area, also known as the Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, is an State Park and nature reserve on 997 acres (403 ha) in Monroe County, Illinois, United States. A key feature of the preserve is a 532-acre (215 ha) hill prairie located on the east bluff of the Mississippi River overlooking the American Bottom near Fults, Illinois. The Fults Hill Prairie has been listed as a National Natural Landmark.^[1]

Natural resources

The preserve is dominated by steep Mississippi River limestone bluffs and ravines. On top of the bluff lies a thick coating of windblown loess soil. This parcel of land has grown into a hill prairie of grasses and forbs characteristic of the tallgrass prairie, and varied by snatches of fire-resistant trees such as the bur oak.^[1]

The preserve is home to a wide variety of species found in few other locations in Illinois. Some of these include big bluestem grass, plains scorpion, cactus, skinks, and fence lizards.^[1]

History and description

The upland or hill prairie was once the dominant ecosystem for much of the land that became the U.S. state of Illinois, the Prairie State. The state's Department of Natural Resources, which owns the prairie parcel, describes it as containing "the largest complex of the highest quality, essentially undisturbed loess hill prairies along the Mississippi River in Illinois."^[1] Most of the prairie acreage that makes up this parcel apparently remained un-plowed during the pioneer years of the 1800s.

The nature preserve was dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve in 1970, and was listed as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.^[1]

The preserve is located approximately 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of Fults. It is owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve: Monroe County". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area.

"Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on April 25, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
"Fults Hill Prairie State Natural Area Map (.jpg)". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
USGS. "Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, Illinois". TopoQuest. Retrieved November 5, 2008.

Panoramic view of a portion of the hill prairie and the Mississippi flood plain below

Protected areas of Illinois

Federal

National Historic Sites and Parks and national monument	Chicago Portage Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Lincoln Home New Philadelphia Pullman
National Forest	Shawnee
National Wildlife Refuges	Chautauqua Crab Orchard Cypress Creek Driftless Area Emiquon Great River Hackmatack Kankakee Mark Twain Meredosia Middle Mississippi River Port Louisa Two Rivers Upper Mississippi River
National Grassland	Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
National Trails/National Heritage Area	Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Illinois and Michigan Canal Lewis and Clark Mormon Pioneer Trail of Tears
National Natural Landmarks	List of National Natural Landmarks in Illinois
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Middle Fork Vermilion River
Wetlands of international importance	Cache River-Cypress Creek The Emiquon Complex Dixon Waterfowl Refuge Chiwaukee Illinois Beach Lake Plain (shared with Wisconsin) Upper Mississippi (shared)

State

State Parks	Apple River Argyle Lake Beall Woods Beaver Dam Buffalo Rock Castle Rock Cave-in-Rock Chain O'Lakes Channahon Delabar Dixon Springs Donnelley/Depue Ferne Clyffe Fort Massac Fox Ridge Gebhard Woods Giant City Hennepin Canal Parkway Horseshoe Lake Illini Illinois Beach James "Pate" Philip Jubilee College Kankakee River Lake Murphysboro Lincoln Trail Lowden Matthiessen Mississippi Palisades Moraine Hills Morrison-Rockwood Nauvoo Pere Marquette Red Hills Rock Cut Rock Island Trail Shabbona Lake Siloam Springs South Shore Starved Rock Walnut Point Weinberg-King White Pines Forest Wildlife Prairie William G. Stratton Wolf Creek
State Historic Sites	List of Illinois State Historic Sites (including, Cahokia World Heritage Site)
State Forests	Big River Hidden Springs Lowden-Miller Sand Ridge Trail of Tears
State Recreation Areas	Clinton Lake Eagle Creek Eldon Hazlet Frank Holten Golconda Marina Johnson-Sauk Trail Kickapoo Lake Le-Aqua-Na Moraine View North Point Marina Prophetstown Pyramid Ramsey Lake Randolph County Sangchris Lake Stephen A. Forbes Washington County Wayne Fitzgerrell Weldon Springs William W. Powers
State Fish and Wildlife Areas	Anderson Lake Baldwin Lake Banner Marsh Carlyle Lake Coffeen Lake Crawford County Des Plaines Double T Edward R. Madigan Green River Hamilton County Heidecke Lake Horseshoe Lake (Alexander County) Iroquois County Kaskaskia River Kinkaid Lake Kishwaukee River LaSalle Lake Mackinaw River Marshall Mautino Mazonia/Braidwood Mermet Lake Middle Fork Mississippi River Newton Lake Jim Edgar Panther Creek Peabody River Pekin Lake Powerton Lake Ray Norbut Rend Lake Rice Lake Sahara Woods Saline County Sam Dale Lake Sam Parr Sanganois Shelbyville Silver Springs Snakeden Hollow Spring Lake Ten Mile Creek Turkey Bluffs Union County Woodford
State Natural Areas	Cache River Franklin Creek Fults Hill Prairie Goose Lake Prairie Harry "Babe" Woodyard Illinois Caverns Kidd Lake Piney Creek Ravine Prairie Ridge Revis Hill Prairie Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Sielbeck Forest Spitler Woods Volo Bog
State Trails	Mormon Trail Trail of Tears Tunnel Hill