MAHOMET, Ill. (WAND) — Working on 900 acres requires a true team effort.

From thick forests to rumbling waterfalls, the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve has a little something for everyone — especially for those who like to see green.

And it just so happens that "putting green" green is Joie Torres' passion.

"I said I was going to get into this business to see what it's all about," Torres said. "It became a passion to me."

Torres has been working on golf courses for 16 years, spending the past two at Lake of the Woods. He's the golf course superintendent, tasked with making sure each hole looks as green and pristine as possible — something that's taken a lot of work thanks to Mother Nature.

"Last year, we had a really bad drought," he said. "We had a lot of irrigation issues during that time...we actually had the season turn around really dramatically for us [this year]."

As Torres and his crew revitalized the golf course, Michael Daab has been cultivating something a little more natural to the area.

"We only have tenths of percentages of these native areas left — our prairies, our savannas, our wetlands," Daab said.

Daab uses his capacity as director of natural resources to restore those critical habitats, providing space for native plants to grow and wildlife to flourish alongside them.

"Plus, I get to leave a lasting legacy," Daab said with a smile. "Those trees that we plant will hopefully be here for hundreds of years."

While the botanical gardens may not last hundreds of years, the forest preserve has put a lot of work into renovating the pond and waterfall so people can enjoy its serene beauty for generations.

"One of the biggest projects we've had done recently out here is the pond and waterfall renovation that we just finished off here in the last month," said assistant site superintendent Michael Dale. "We really look at it and enjoy it out here."

The preserve also includes miles of running/walking trails and the Museum of the Grand Prairie.

Of course, none of this works so beautifully without a dedicated team — a fact that is not lost on Torres.

"We have been fortunate we have such a great team here at the forest preserve," he said. "[Mahomet is] a great community that [we] have a passion for."