Oak and hickory are the dominant tree species in a woodland that also contains red cedar, red and white oak, sugar maple, ironwood, blue beech and, in the bottomlands, abundant willow, cottonwood and silver maple. Forests, bluffs and limestone outcroppings are rich in wildflowers and ferns. Among the wildflowers are hepatica, Dutchman s breeches, spring beauties, toothwort, yellow bellwort, trout lily, trillium, wild ginger, larkspur, phlox, wild petunia, Venus looking glass and May apple. The ferns include cliffbrake, Christmas and woolly lip species. Although intended primarily for public hunting, the conservation area also beckons hikers and nature enthusiasts with several undeveloped trails, one of which has a trailhead parking lot.
Fishing is permitted, too, in the Illinois River and Blue Creek.
No facilities or programs exist for camping, picnicking, horseback riding, water sports, winter activities or other recreational pursuits. Pre-history Archaeological evidence found at Ray Norbut Fish and Wildlife Area indicates a densely populated settlement existed there during the Middle Woodland Era, about 2,000 years ago. It s not certain what the community s purposes were and whether it was permanent or occupied only intermittently. However, discovery of more than a dozen burial mound groups and other cultural remains within the site suggest it was a mortuary camp and headquarters for other, non-mortuary rituals and ceremonies. Scientific investigations dating back to the 1800's have documented occupancy of the tract by cultures as old as 8,000 years and as recent as 200 years ago.