The Forest Preserve District of Kane County made a 44.45-acre expansion to Meissner-Corron Forest Preserve in Campton Township, Jan. 13, officials announced in a news release.

The acquisition fills in a triangular, wedge-shaped section within the northeastern portion of the preserve, which now totals 665 acres. The site is adjacent to an area that Campton Township Open Space manages. Combined, both agencies protect a contiguous 1,126 acres of natural area in the complex, according to the release.

“The beauty in the protection of this parcel is in the shape,” Forest Preserve District Executive Director Benjamin Haberthur said in the release.

“Like a missing puzzle piece locking-in, we’ll now be able to see a more intact picture of the natural landscape of Kane County. There’s also a sensitive ecological area that is already protected at Meissner-Corron Forest Preserve. An Illinois Nature Preserve was dedicated here in 2015 as Meissner-Corron Prairie and Sedge Meadow,” Haberthur said in the release. “The permanent conservation of this parcel protects the interior of Russel Fen, and buffers the vulnerable plant species from animal predation and invasive species infestation.”

The Forest Preserve District invested $947,965 in the 44.45-acre addition. A $190,000 acquisition grant from the Prairie State Conservation Coalition will offset that amount, according to the release.

“The mission of protecting the entire suite of life for future generations is bigger than the district. We’re always open to new and effective partnerships,” Haberthur said in the release. ”We want to be on the cutting edge of conservation, and right now that is Prairie State Conservation Coalition. We’re honored to have been selected as part of the inaugural class of PSCC land-acquisition grants, and we thank them for their support in this win.”

The Meissner-Corron acquisition brings the total land that the Forest Preserve District manages to 24,228 acres.