The Salt Fork River Forest Preserve is located in east-central Champaign County. It lies in both Ogden and South Homer townships, about one mile northwest of Homer and contains approximately 800 acres.
The preserve consists primarily of fields previously devoted to row-crop agriculture. In recent history the site was developed by the Illinois Department of Conservation as a tree farm. High quality second growth woods with a wildflower understory and successional bottom land forests exist. Four woods exist on this site - Flicker Woods, Twin Oaks Hill, the historic Maple Grove and Collins Woods.
Small relic prairie plant communities occur on the perimeters of old fields. A prairie restoration is ongoing near the Visitor Center. The flood plains of the site include successional forests and meadows. Small localized seeps occur. Approximately one and one-half miles of the Salt Fork River run along the site. The preserve contains two bodies of water - the 80 acre Homer Lake and the three- acre Collins Pond.
The Champaign County Audubon Society studies the birds found in the Forest Preserves. In 1994 they intensively studied the Salt Fork River Forest Preserve spending 52 hours there and finding 95 species.
Of the 800 acres, approximately 118 acres are developed. Developments include the Visitor Center; picnic areas with open shelters, pit toilets, picnic tables and grills; and lake associated developments such as a boat rental area and boat ramps.
An Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant has been awarded to the Champaign County Forest Preserve District for construction of a Welcome Center which will be started in 1995.