Exelon Corporation

Sand Ridge Savanna Prairie

Wilmington, Illinois, United States

Certified through 2024

Project Name
Project Type
Sand Ridge Savanna Prairie
Grassland
About the Program
ComEd's (an Exelon Company) Sand Ridge Savanna Prairie site, 8.7 acres of high-quality grassland habitat on a transmission right-of-way, is located in southern Will County, Illinois. The habitat harbors 160 plant species, with approximately 80% native plant cover and was identified in 2017 as a high-priority site for pollinator habitat restoration. The site is part of ComEd's regional Prairie Program, which manages over 35 prairie sites with the goal of restoring prairies on ComEd's rights-of-way. The Sand Ridge Nature Preserve comprises a portion of FPDWC’s Kankakee Sands preservation system, which conserves more than 1,200 acres.

Practices and Impacts
  • ComEd employees work extensively with professional consultants to manage the Superior Street Prairie. Annual site inventories are used to inform management practices. Based on inventory data, invasive species control has focused on purple loosestrife and common reed grass. Removal efforts included a controlled burn in the spring of 2020.
  • Monarch butterflies and other pollinators are frequently observed in the grassland.
  • In 2019, 170 native plant species were identified, including four species of milkweed.
Skip to content