Fairchild Cemetery Savanna Nature Preserve
County: Vermilion
Ownership: Grand Prairie Friends
Dedication: June 1986
Size: 1.4 Acres
Steward: Bill Handel
This small cemetery is one of the few remaining savanna remnants left in Illinois. For many years, this site was protected and managed by the Vermilion County Audubon Society. The management program for this preserve includes prescribed burning and brush control. For the last several years prescribed burns have been conducted here with encouraging results.
Some of the predominant plants of this savanna are big bluestem, Indian grass, New Jersey tea, showy goldenrod, drooping coneflower, and prairie rose. Over 35 other herbaceous species of prairie plants are known to occur at this site.
How to get there: From Champaign-Urbana take I-74 east to exit 210. Merge onto US 150 and take this to the first stoplight and turn left on Henning Rd. Take this 8 mi and turn left on E 2600 N. Go 1.5 mi and turn left on Indian Springs Rd. Go 1 mi, and a few hundred feet after crossing a creek, look for a primitive wooden gate on the left. Pull off the road and park here.
Please note: This is an Illinois State Nature Preserve, and use is limited to walking, birding, and photography. Camping, picnicking, littering, pets, and vehicles are not allowed inside the preserve. All plants, animals, birds, and insects are protected, so do not disturb or remove any natural objects including rocks, plants, seeds, or insects.
Click here to see a complete list of sites we help protect.
