Rosewood Park Coastal

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AUTHORITY:

Great Lakes Fishery & Ecosystem Restoration (Section 506, WRDA 2000) as amended.

DESCRIPTION:

Rosewood Park is an 11-acre park located on the shores of Lake Michigan in Highland Park, Ill. It is located near Roger Williams Avenue and Sheridan Road in the Ravinia neighborhood. The restoration encompasses approximately seven acres that primarily occur within lower Rosewood with some restoration occurring along the perimeter of upper Rosewood. 

The park was once the estate of U.S. clothier Julius Rosenwald, part owner and leader of Sears, Roebuck and Company. Around 1910, Rosenwald hired famed landscape architect Jens Jensen to design the grounds of the estate. Today, the reflecting pool, carriage bridge, and surroundings at upper Rosewood are all that remain of his work at the site. The portions of the park designed by Jensen are mainly restricted to upper Rosewood and are therefore excluded from this project footprint. Today the park is owned and operated by the Park District of Highland Park (PDHP).  The park is unique in that it preserves beach, bluff, ravine, stream, and oak savanna habitat.

COSTS:

Total Project Cost:

  $8,801,423

Federal Cost:

 $5,720,925

Non-Federal Cost:

 $3,045,988

Funding of this project is through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). 

HIGHLIGHT:

This project received one of five awards from the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association's 2016 Best Restored Beaches.

BENEFITS:

The restoration of the native habitat types within Rosewood Park will provide a heterogeneous ecosystem that will promote species diversity. The project includes restoring lake, ravine, beach & foredune, bluff, and savanna habitats for resident and migratory species of insect, fish, amphibian, reptile, and bird. Each habitat type will provide important stop-over, nesting, and foraging opportunities to a unique suite of bird species. The lake and ravine habitat will provide critical spawning habitat for many native game and non-game fishes. Overall, the proposed plan will greatly benefit the overall ecological integrity of the area.

STATUS:

A five year construction contract was awarded in September 2013. The project entered its last year of its contract with construction completion estimated in the summer of 2019. In November 2018, USACE issued a modification to its existing contract to conduct repairs at the mouth of the Ravine and install a rock wall downstream of the pedestrian bridge. This work has been recently completed. USACE continues to monitor plant establishment and as well as maintenance activities.

Project Manager

Chuck Shea

Project Area

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