Partner Organisation: Severson Dells

Location: United States of America

Severson Dells Nature Center, our newest Alliance Partner, is rewilding the former Elliot Golf Course in Cherry Valley, Illinois. With a mission to connect people in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin to nature through education and research, Severson Dells is a nonprofit foundation already engaging communities on its 150-hectare Forest Preserve made up of forest, grasslands, floodplains, and dolomite cliffs.

The planned restoration of the former 65-hectare golf course into an urban nature preserve will feature native prairies, oak savannas, and wetlands, transforming the former golf clubhouse into a centre for education and community events. The project, spanning three to four years, aims to restore biodiversity, provide ecosystem services, and serve as a model for sustainable development and nature-based tourism in Illinois, all while providing an accessible rewilding project for the public to learn from and enjoy.

Restoration is well underway beginning with the use of conventional agriculture to rid the property of turf grass and flush the weed seed bank. This will be followed by winter seeding of the prairie to replace the monoculture of non-native grasses grasses of the former golf course.

Away from the golf course, Severson Dells offers programs for all ages—including school field trips, guided hikes, summer camps, and citizen science projects—Severson Dells fosters a love and understanding of nature in the surrounding communities.

Severson Dells acknowledges its location on the traditional lands of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Meskwaki, Winnebago ( Nebraska), and Potawatomi indigenous peoples, reflecting a commitment to honouring the history of these lands while promoting a wilder, more sustainable future.

Visit Severson Dells website