Sand Ridge Campus opens in Calumet City after $1.6 million renovation
CALUMET CITY, Ill. - A new and improved Sand Ridge Campus in Calumet City opened on Saturday.
The 580-acre Cook County Forest Preserve, which includes Sand Ridge Nature Center, Camp Shabbona Woods, Green Lake and Green Lake Family Aquatic Center, sits on an old beach and is considered Native American land. Officials call it a "natural theme park."
Substantial renovations costing $1.6 million included updating trails, removing more than 300 acres of invasive plants,
Our district-wide restoration plan has identified the Sand Ridge Complex as a top priority for ecological restoration," said Forest Preserves General Superintendent Arnold Randall. "And for years, we have been bringing the old savannas and wetlands back to health."