Two parcels on the Wilmette-Evanston border hold one of the last naturally grown prairies in Illinois and what the park district calls the oldest house in Wilmette. If the Wilmette Park District secures a state grant, both could become a public prairie preserve and educational facility.

The district is pursuing two lots at 2777 and 2787 Ridge Road under its "Imagine More Space in Wilmette" initiative, Parks Planner Anna Murray told residents at a community meeting Monday, Aug. 10 at Wilmette Village Hall, The Record North Shore reported. Murray described the effort as "step 0.5," with the district still working to line up funding before any formal proposal can move forward.

The funding vehicle is Illinois's Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant, which offers local agencies up to $1,125,000 for land acquisition. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Aug. 31, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The program is competitive: $37.5 million is available statewide this round, with roughly 65 awards expected.

The prairie's ecological rarity could strengthen the application. OSLAD scoring weights "protection or enhancement of a State or locally significant natural area" at 35% of the total evaluation, the highest single criterion. Illinois once held 22 million acres of prairie; by 1978, fewer than 2,300 acres of high-quality prairie remained statewide, according to the IDNR.

Community input also factors into the grant scoring. More than a dozen residents attended the Monday, Aug. 10 open-house session, and a second meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 at Wallace Bowl in Gillson Park.

Bonnie Barber, a Wilmette resident who walks past the Ridge Road properties daily, spoke in favor of preservation at the Monday meeting. "I walk past it, and I just feel like it should be preserved in some way," Barber said. "The fact that there is a prairie there, I just think it's a wonderful way to not only educate people's children about the prairie and maintain it, but also the old building, which is part of its history."

Murray said the feedback gathered at both sessions directly supports the grant application.

If awarded, the district envisions a prairie preserve paired with an educational facility for local students. The identity of the current property owners has not been disclosed, and the district has not said what the total acquisition cost would be. OSLAD is a matching program, meaning the district would need to cover at least half the purchase price from other sources.

As we reported Aug. 6, the broader "Imagine More Space" initiative invited families to weigh in on where new recreational space should go. The Ridge Road parcels are the first specific sites to emerge from that process.

Residents who cannot attend Wednesday's meeting can email feedback to [email protected]. The OSLAD application deadline is Aug. 31.