Lake Renwick Prairie

About the Program
Exelon Corporation’s ComEd is an energy utility company headquartered in Chicago. The Lake Renwick Prairie program manages 12 acres of grassland habitat in a right-of-way in Plainfield, Illinois located about 40 miles west of Chicago. Bordered by the Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve, the program began in 2003 to help restore native species in this prairie habitat for the benefit of pollinators and other wildlife, predominantly through invasive species management. The program follows ComEd’s Prairie Standardization Plan for prairie restoration as one of more than 40 ComEd Prairie Program locations that cover over 500 acres statewide. This long-term corporate strategy includes a goal of integrated ecosystem management by combining biodiversity with environmental conservation and restoration, emphasizing prairie ecosystems that benefit native pollinator species.  

Practices and Impacts

• An inventory from 2022 found a total of 145 species, 101 of which are native to the area. The plants found mostly include flowering herbaceous plants and grasses, along with some sedges and shrubs.
• Management activities include the selective and periodic use of herbicides and mowing to support a native grassland habitat and control invasive species.
• There have been significant increases in local native biodiversity and coverage since 2013, with native vegetation cover now at 85% (from 70%) and the number of native species found increasing to 101 (from 74). The project also supports pollinators, including tiger swallowtail and sulphur butterflies.