Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, to restore 785 acres of former agricultural land at Dutch Gap Forest Preserve in Antioch, Illinois. The project is being carried out in partnership with Lake County Forest Preserves under a five-year contract term.

The Dutch Gap Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration project will transform a degraded agricultural landscape into a connected system of wetland, prairie, savanna, fen,

riparian, and aquatic habitats. RES’s scope includes restoring site hydrology by disabling more than 64,000 linear feet of legacy drain tile, reshaping stream and floodplain areas, and installing natural stone riffles and cobble features to improve aquatic habitat and stream function.

RES will also install native seed across hundreds of acres and plant more than 190,000 native plugs, trees, and shrubs. Invasive species control, selective clearing, maintenance, monitoring, and adaptive management will continue throughout the contract term to support long-term establishment across all habitat types.

“Projects like Dutch Gap are the result of long-term relationships built on trust and a shared commitment to getting restoration right,” said Heather Haynes, Federal Director at RES. “We’re proud to work alongside the Army Corps of Engineers and Lake County Forest Preserves on a project of this scale and significance, and we’re in it for the long haul, through planting, through establishment, and through the years when the land really begins to respond.”

When complete, the project will improve habitat for migratory birds, fish, and other wildlife while strengthening one of Lake County’s most important preserve landscapes.