Greenbelt Forest Preserve

Welcome to the Greenbelt Forest Preserve! This preserve offers quite a natural oasis in one of the most urbanized areas of Lake County. It offers habitat for a large array of birds and wildflowers. This is a popular field trip destination for local teachers and students who come to study Environmental Education and History and in the summer time local teens volunteer here to learn about organic harvesting.

Preserve History: On the stretch of Green Bay Road, which runs through the preserve, Native Americans marched over 200 years ago seeking a high and dry passage through the lowlands. They met up with fur traders in the 18th century and were soon replaced soldiers and mail carriers using the route to get from Chicago to Green Bay. One of the earlier settlers of the land was Alfred Bennett whose brother was the first African American settler in Lake County, Amos Bennett. The two men were born to freed slaves and came to this land to set up a farm before moving to Michigan. The county began to purchase the land in 1971. The preserve provides habitat for numerous species of plants and animals including wildflowers such as mayapples, shooting stars, and blue-eyed grass. The sub-continental divide runs through the middle of it dividing the watersheds that feed into the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Today the preserve is still being restored from the scars of agriculture. Come on out and explore.