Dokum Mskoda Sedge Meadow Nature Preserve
Illinois Nature Preserve Protection - January 2012
93 Acres Preserved
“Quiet Prairie” is the meaning of the Potawatomi phrase “Dokum Mskoda” and is an apt description of this rare, undisturbed sedge meadow and prairie in west Waukegan. Conserve Lake County worked with the Fields of Cambridge Condominium Association, the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and others to protect the 93-acre site which has at least 98 native plant species. Conserve Lake County played a key role by securing funding and purchasing an 8-acre parcel that was critical for the dedication of the nature preserve to proceed. The 8 acres will be added to the preserve later this year, expanding it to over 100 acres.
The Fields of Cambridge Condominium Association owns the site and has been committed to the stewardship and protection of this natural treasure. Intrigued by the thought that the sedge meadow was largely unchanged since Native Americans lived in the area, the Association contacted an alliance of seven tribal councils of the Potawatomi who suggested the “Dokum Mskoda” name. The Potawatomis were the last succession of indigenous peoples to live the region.
“This farm has been good to Jamee and I. We have such wonderful memories of our girls growing up here. Whether they were on the back of a horse or out on the prairie, they seem to have spent most of their time outside. Depending on a person’s situation, a conservation easement can be a smart tool to use when managing a real estate portfolio and protecting your family’s land. It’s worked well for us.” - Marshall Field 
“The Getz family is one of a dedicated group of landowners who have understood the niche their property occupied within the larger landscape. They chose preservation over holding the property for investment. That's a family that is leaving a true land legacy." Steve Barg, Executive Director, Conserve Lake County.
“Mrs. Casey’s farmhouse seemed familiar and comforting. It even smelled like my Grandma’s home. We shared some pie I had baked with apples from Al’s orchard. Two years later she called and asked if the Liberty Prairie Conservancy would be interested in buying her farm. We immediately dove in and raised the money. We worked hard to honor the family’s wishes—they had owned the land since the Civil War. And I knew for a fact there was at least one 14-inch pike cavorting in the stream at the bottom of the hill.” Steve Barg, Executive Director, Conserve Lake County.
“We named it Wadley Wing Haven because of the birds. Cranes, bitterns. Even black terns. The conservation easement protects it while lowering our taxes. When this land passes on to its next owners, they’ll be able to build a small boardwalk but not much else. We thank the Liberty Prairie Conservancy for enabling us to do what we know was best for this land.” Searle Wadley
“We have enjoyed “the Farm” for over 52 years. It has been a wonderful experience and has instilled an appreciation of open space and love of the outdoors that now carries on to the next generation.” - Anonymous
“Mom and Dad began restoring the natural areas on this property as soon as they acquired it. Dad was a farm boy at heart and never tired of contemplating water quality. Mom was an avid birder and botanist. Burning the prairie became an annual family festival, and we all took part in the war on invasive species the way some families participate in yachting or deep-sea snorkeling.” Marcia Milne
“How practically can human communities and individuals fit and live well within nature? We cannot do this alone, even with our loyal, talented, conservationist colleagues. However, …we can work unflaggingly to promote effective cultures of conservation and help to spread their influence to an ever widening circle of communities regional, national, and global. Is there really any other moral and civic alternative?” Strachan Donnelley