Emiquon Project

The Emiquon Project is a 7,100-acre (28.7 km²) wetland conservation project located in Fulton County, Illinois across the Illinois River from the town of Havana. The project is owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy.

History

The Emiquon Project covers the historic beds of "Flag Lake" and "Thompson Lake", which were shallow, alluvial lakes created by the Illinois River during the geological period that followe the last ice age. Heavy loads of sand and silt carried southwest by the river created almost random, undulating topography along the river's bed. The river responded to these deposits by repeatedly shifting its course, leaving long, narrow sections of abandoned riverbed behind it. Two of these sections became Flag Lake and Thompson Lake.

Surrounding these two lakes, and strung out along the western bank of the Illinois River, was a characteristic North American riverine ecosystem characterized by dense populations of shellfish, fish, migratory birds, and mammals. The Emiquon wetland became a favorite home for many Indians of the Illinois Territory for thousands of years, leaving 149 known archeological sites behind them within the parcels of land that make up the Project. These hunter-gatherers used and lived in and around both the wetlands of Emiqon and the adjacent river bluffs. During the centuries between 1000 CE and 1300 CE, many of them buried their dead in an adjacent blufftop, now the Dickson Mounds National Historic Site. Brenda Rothert, "Emiquon's rebirth begins: Nature Conservancy planting 260,000 trees at preserve near Lewistown", Peoria Journal Star, May 6, 2007.]

When new Americans of European ancestry began living along the Illinois River in the late 1600s, they brought several wetland diseases with them, notably malaria. Local Indian populations declined, and the settlers tried not to live in or near wetlands, believing them to be unhealthy places to live. When Fulton County was organized in 1823, the settlers selected a blufftop location several miles away as the county seat.

A population of local Illinois River settlers thinly settled the Emiquon riverbank, which was too wet for traditional European-style farming. The region continued to yield a living to fur trappers, hunters, and fishermen. However, in 1919 Joy Morton, a wealthy Chicago CEO, acquired the Emiquon area and had a levee built around it and drainage ditches dug. Emiquon became the "Norris Farm", and the former wetlands and lake beds were drained and converted into cornfields. The formerly free-flowing Illinois River was dammed and confined to a narrow channel running between artificial banks.

Today

Throughout the 1900s, alterations to the Illinois riverbed caused severe damage to the ecological diversity and fish productivity of the river. Beginning in the 1960s, naturalists lobbied for restoration of parts of the riverbed and former wetlands. After extended negotiations, the Nature Conservancy acquired the 7,100-acre property in 2000. In 2007, the Conservancy enrolled 6,400 acres (25.9 km²) of the parcel in the federally-subsidized Wetlands Reserve Program.

By 2007, volunteers working with the Nature Conservancy had replanted 260,000 wetland trees, including black walnuts, swamp white oaks, and pecans, and 8,000 pounds of grassland seed. The Conservancy believed that the Emiquon Project was the second largest wetlands restoration project in the United States, behind the Everglades. Chris Young, "Emiquon Preserve Revival: Floodplain project begins to reap results from efforts", (Springfield, Ill.) State Journal-Register, May 29, 2007, page 17.]

The Conservancy's long-range master plan for the Emiquon Project included restoration of the parcel's natural drainage patterns to the maximum extent possible, including reconstruction of a free-flowing connection between the Illinois River and Thompson Lake. The refilled lakes were stocked with largemouth bass, bullhead, channel catfish, and crappie. The Conservancy also planned to construct welcome facilities to encourage birdwatchers and other visitors to enjoy the reborn wetland. The Emiquon Project's location, within 40 miles (64 km) of Peoria and adjacent to the established Dickson Mounds museum, was expected to help draw visitors.

In April 2008, the University of Illinois at Springfield opened a field station at Emiquon to conduct research and monitor restoration progress. Chris Young, "UIS opens field station at Emiquon", State Journal-Register, April 26, 2008.]
Illinois Route 78 and Illinois Route 97 run through the Emiquon Project. The state highways run concurrently in the Project region.

References

External links

* [http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/illinois/preserves/art1112.html Nature Conservancy]