Natural Resources Program | Argonne National Laboratory

The Argonne site is surrounded by hundreds of acres of wilderness. There are 500 acres of woodlands, 330 acres of grassland and prairie, 50 acres of wetlands and other habitats.

The Hine’s emerald dragonfly, listed as endangered, uses Argonne’s wetlands and complex landscape as reproductive habitat and respite from predators.

The Common Teasel, an invasive species, may have been introduced accidentally with other varieties of teasel.

Until recent times, fire was a natural part of life for our native woodlands, wetlands, and prairies. We used prescribed burns to clear invaders and restore diversity.

We proactively manage this precious resource to reduce invasive species populations and maintain habitat integrity, native species populations, and fulfill regulatory compliance regulations.

We have a long history of natural resources management. The pine trees on our site were planted in the 1950’s to improve habitat and advance forest succession. Today, ecosystems have grown in and around the portion of the site used for scientific research and enhance the work experience at the laboratory.

The Argonne site is the host of an endangered species. The Hine’s emerald dragonfly has been using the site’s wetlands and complex landscape as reproductive habitat and respite from predators. This species is benefiting from Argonne’s long history of wetland protection

There are threats to ecosystems and rare species. Most notable is the presence of many invasive populations large and small. This threat is controlled so that the impact, already prominent at Argonne, is minimized. Buckthorne, honeysuckle, phragmites, and teasel have already established a strong presence and aggressive control effort is underway.

The long-term goal is to reduce all invasive species populations to negligible impact, fulfill regulatory requirements for threatened and endangered species and their habitats, and to have high quality ecosystems.