Salt Creek Woods Nature Preserve has been dedicated as a sanctuary for native plants and animals and is maintained in its natural condition so present and future generations can see the Illinois landscape as it appeared in the past. This living example of natural heritage is valuable for scientific studies and may provide habitat for rare plants and animals. It sustains a mosaic of oak savanna and woodland, with floodplain forest lining the creek, while pockets of marsh and sedge meadow dot the preserve and provide critical habitat for wildlife. Red-headed woodpeckers, bluebirds, and red-shouldered hawks live here among ancient white and bur oak trees.