Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge

The eastern Illinois-Wisconsin border floods the senses with a beautiful landscape, including pristine streams, historic prairies, hickory and oak groves, tamarack trees, wetlands, and the first wildlife refuge in the greater Chicago region.

The Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge is part of former president Barack Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to develop a 21st-century conservation and recreation agenda. The refuge serves 3.5 million people in nearby cities, including Chicago and Milwaukee, and 12 million people within an hour’s drive.

Conservation efforts began with concerned community members sharing ideas to protect Hackmatack. Later, local, regional, and conservation organizations, including Trust for Public Land, Friends of Hackmatack, and Openlands, helped create and establish the refuge. It provides much-needed outdoor opportunities for millions nearby, connects protected lands and trails, and promotes tourism.

The wide array of activities offered within Hackmatack includes backpacking, birding, cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, hunting, picnicking, ranger-led hiking, and snowshoeing. Educational programs are offered such as Bald Eagle viewing (January), World Migratory Bird Day celebrations (April), Monarch Mania (August), and National Wildlife Refuge Week (October).

“Hack-ma-tack” is the Algonquin word for the tamarack tree abundantly found in this region. More than a hundred species of birds and animals call this region home—including threatened and endangered species such as Blanding’s turtle and the sandhill crane.

Like most TPL projects, Hackmatack was created for the people, by the people. “This wasn’t a government entity, this was local people who cared,” said the policy director at Openlands.