Many residents may not be aware that Bridgeview is home to two prairies, one near the Bridgeview Courthouse and one located at Harlem Avenue and 76th Street between the truck stop and the strip mall. The Harlem prairie is known as “Shooting Star Prairie,” named in part for the shooting star plants and in part because people would see the stars at night when they parked their cars at the old drive-in movie theater that once neighbored the land. The 12 acres of remnant and restored prairie has been maintained by the Village for decades, and that maintenance has led some to consider this little-known landmark to be one of the best restoration projects in the Chicagoland area due to the high quality of parts of the prairie.
Doctor Lou Mulé, PhD, an ecologist of Tallgrass Associates and former Argo High School teacher, detailed the significance of this black soil prairie as he gave a tour of the area. “Prairies are almost entirely grasslands, meaning they contain few if any trees. The Shooting Star Prairie is a ‘remnant’ prairie containing around 90% native plants, meaning it has been largely undisturbed by European settlement. Our ecosystem and the human food system depend on pollinators, and maintaining the prairie will both serve broader goals of environmental protection and serve to ensure that the close relationship between different native species of the prairie habitat continues.
Bridgeview’s Shooting Star Prairie is a hidden gem flanked by commercial land use, and the Village of Bridgeview believes it is important to protect the natural area for residents, research, and education. Simply spending a half hour in natural green space has been shown to decrease blood pressure, and it is understood that green space is increasingly important for mental health in our urbanized environment. Bridgeview’s Shooting Star Prairie is just one more interesting facet of our diverse and well-balanced community for everyone to enjoy.
