Illinois is starting a roughly $15 million restoration of 794 acres at Dutch Gap Forest Preserve, reversing more than a century of farm drainage to rebuild wetlands, streams, prairie and savanna

A major ecological change is beginning in northern Illinois, where conservation officials are reversing more than a century of farming changes to restore nearly 800 acres of natural land. The $15 million restoration project at Dutch Gap Forest Preserve in Antioch will remove major farm drainage systems, restore natural water flows and bring back wetlands, streams, prairies and savannas across the 794-acre site.