Links Prairie Rivers Network

The links below will help you find more information on environmental/conservation organizations, general river resources, governmental agencies and their resources, including specific resources for Mississippi River Restoration, and where to find more educational information about your watershed and watershed management.

Environmental & Conservation Organizations/Groups

American Rivers – Mississippi River

Audubon UMR Campaign

Canton Area Citizens for Environmental Issues (citizen coal group)

Citizens Against Longwall Mining (citizen coal group)

Center for Neighborhood Technology

Conservation Foundation

Enviornmental Law and Policy Center

Enviornmental Working Group

Friends of the Illinois River

Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR)

Green Lands, Blue Waters

Heartland Coalfield Alliance (citizen coal group)

Illinois Audubon Society

Illinois Environmental Council

Illinois Water Resources Center

Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy

The Izaak Walton League of America – Save Our Streams

Living Lands & Waters

Mississippi River Basin Alliance (MRBA)

National Wildlife Federation

Openlands Project

The Nature Conservancy in Illinois

Sierra Club – Illinois Chapter

Stand Up To Coal (citizen coal group)

River Books, Maps and Programs from River Lorian

General Information

Government Agencies & Resources

Illinois Natural History Survey
The US Environmental Protection Agency maintains many sites with information and automatic mapping interface for locating sources of water and other pollution and runoff:
USEPA Nonpoint Source Pollution: http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS
USEPA Region 5 water: http://www.epa.gov/r5water
USEPA Action Plan for hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico: http://www.epa.gov/msbasin/
USEPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds: http://www.epa.gov/owow/
USEPA Illinois Permit Database: http://www.epa.gov/ARDR5/permits/ilonline.htm
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.state.il.us
U.S. Geological Survey: http://www.usgs.gov
USEPA National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the NPDES permitting program: http://www.epa.gov/npdes

Illinois Department of Natural Resources Education Program

An educational guide to the “Streams of Illinois” poster. This is a fun look at some of the many species you can find in our streams.
A lesson on the aquatic endangered and threatened species in Illinois. Learn more about the rare plants, fish, mussels, insects, and mammals that can be found in Illinois.

Identify Unique Natural Resources in Your Watershed

Many Illinois Department of Natural Resources documents, such as Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP) reports, are useful in learning about our healthy waters, wildlife and lands. You can also search the Illinois Natural History Survey collections and databases to find plants and animals that have been collected in your watershed, dating back to the 1800s. The fish, crustacean, insect, and mussel collection databases will allow search queries by stream, and these are extremely useful tools. Learn more about where you live and the wonderful wildlife in your watershed.