The Forest Preserve District of Will County has added 40 acres of land to the Riverview Farmstead Preserve in Plainfield.

The land is located on the west side of the DuPage River north of 127th Street and “helps fill a critical gap in the DuPage River Greenway and brings Riverview Farmstead Preserve closer to the Plainfield Park District’s Eaton Preserve,” the forest preserve district stated in a news release announcing the acquisition.

The Riverview Farmstead preserve stretches north into Naperville from Plainfield, while the Eaton Preserve sits further south in unincorporated Wheatland Township, past 135th Street.

The newly acquired parcel was one of the last pieces of land zoned for agricultural use in Plainfield, and “will enhance and buffer Riverview Farmstead, improving land and river management and enabling a future extension of the DuPage River Trail,” the release said.

The forest preserve district acquired the land for $1,089,349 as part of its $50 million 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program.

Half of the Capital Improvement Program funding is dedicated to land preservation, with an additional $12 million for regional and local trail connections and new access areas, and $13 million meant for wildlife habitat restoration.

“Acquisitions funded by the capital plan will ensure there is more green space in Will County for future generations to enjoy,” said Forest District Preserve Public Information Officer Cindy Wojdyla Cain. “And the new parcels will add access to open areas so people can reap the physical and mental benefits of being in nature.”

The Forest Preserve District notes that preserving open spaces can assist in flood control, as well as storing carbon, providing habitat space for wildlife, preserving threatened and endangered species, and providing recreational options for residents.

This is the third large acquisition approved by the Forest Preserve District in 2025, along with a 241-acre parcel in Custer Township purchased in June and a 495-acre parcel acquired in August.

The three new parcels bring the Will County Forest Preserve’s total of owned, leased, and managed land to 23,978 acres.