St. Mary's Cemetery Today
WPRA President David Pittman and his wife, Theresa Smith, have worked thousands of hours for over ten years restoring the two acres of 10,000-year-old meadows in St. Mary's Cemetery to their original beauty-the glory of what the central Illinois prairie looked like thousands of years ago with its authentic blend of native grasses and wildflowers, now once again covering the hillsides of the cemetery.
In 1971, this area was identified as a glacial hill prairie and declared to be biologically important by state biologists. Thanks to the work of David and Theresa and other Nature Conservancy volunteers, the cemetery was officially named an Illinois Natural Heritage Landmark in a July 2009 dedication ceremony. This extensive project was sponsored by the Hill Prairie State Wildlife Habitat Project.
To restore the St. Mary's site, the volunteers had to clear away much intrusive plant life and to undo all the damage done to parts of the area that had been used as a waste dump for many years.
According to Pittman, there are about 160 native plants (such as St. John's wort) that are unique to this area, and new plants are discovered all the time as seeds in the soil begin to germinate.
Click here to see photos.