View PRN’s Prairie River Notes – Summer 2010 Newsletter (pdf) with the following articles:

• Big Wheels Keep on Rolling – Update on Traveling Science Center
• A Message from our Executive Director
• PRN Annual Dinner – October 29th
• River Steward Nominations
• Helping Champaign Homeowners Manage Stormwater Through Rain Gardens and Rain Barrels
• Illinois Contaminated by Coal Pollution
• How You Can Help Reduce Illinois’ Coal Pollution Problem
• PRN Studying Public Waterway Rights
• Ready to Unveil! Webpages for Watershed Groups
• Thank You Interns and Volunteers

Friends of Kickapoo Creek (FOKC), based in McLean County, Illinois, has produced the first educational fish poster illustrating the 57 species of fishes in Kickapoo Creek, a tributary of the Salt Creek of the Sangamon River. This project is an outgrowth of recent efforts by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and volunteers from FOKC to document the fish fauna of Kickapoo Creek. FOKC is distributing the fish poster at no charge to educational and allied institutions in the Kickapoo Creek watershed portion of McLean County.

For more information, contact Janice Holder, President, Friends of Kickapoo Creek (FOKC), friendsofkickapoocreek@gmail.com, 309.473.9285

The Middle Fork River

The Middle Fork River is Illinois’ first State Scenic River, so designated in 1986 by Governor James R. Thompson. In 1989 the Middle Fork was also designated as a National Scenic River by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan. The Middle Fork is the first river in Illinois to be included in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It is protected by State and federal law because of its outstanding scenic, recreational, ecological, and historical characteristics.

What can you see in the Middle Fork river valley?

Nature abounds for you to enjoy along the Middle Fork River. There are miles of scenic river with high bluffs and sand bars, surrounded by trees harboring many animals. In the river, you may see mussels, turtles, ducks and other waterfowl, and sunfish, or bass. Along its banks you may see frogs, salamanders, or raccoons. In the trees you may see or hear chickadees, bluebirds, woodpeckers, hawks, and many other birds. The many types of trees include oak, dogwood, walnut, redbud, and ash. On the trails near the river you may see orchids, ferns, prairie grasses, or wildflowers such as Indian paint brush, or brown-eyed Susan.

The Middle Fork River has eroded through deep glacial deposits, exposing steep valley slopes and high bluffs. This results in small springs on hillsides, and attracts swallows to nest in the bluffs. During a flood, the power of the river cuts new channels, moves boulders, and removes trees. Most of the area along the river is forested, and there are also several prairie sites. Three areas support plants and animals so rare that they are protected as State Nature Preserves. The Middle Fork river valley supports a great diversity of plants and animals including 57 types of fish, 45 different mammals, and 190 kinds of birds. Of this diverse wildlife, there are 24 species officially identified as State threatened or endangered species. Other special qualities of the Middle Fork River valley include unusual geologic formations, various historic sites, and over 8,400 acres of public parks. {Continue Reading »}

Time spent squishing your boots in mud is time well spent. That is the consensus of participants who attended last Saturday’s River Discovery Program at Kickapoo State Park. Presented by Prairie Rivers Network and the Illinois Natural History Survey, the day’s activities ranged from touring the new Traveling Science Center to sampling for and identifying aquatic insects along the edge of the Middle Fork River. For Saturday’s program, INHS scientists collected turtles, fish, mussels, and crayfish from the river and its tributaries. Displayed in fish tanks, participants got a close-up view of a variety of Middle Fork River residents: the varied shapes and sometimes vibrant colors of fish, including a Rainbow darter and state-endangered Bluebreast darter; mussels burrowed into the sand, filtering the water for food; crayfish scuttling along the edges of their tank, their large claws up as if preparing for battle.

The 40-foot Traveling Science Center was a hit with kids and adults alike. Full of eye-catching information panels and a number of interactive games, the TSC provides basic, but critical, information on Illinois’ biodiversity, river ecosystems and negative impacts to these natural systems from pollution and other activities.

Designated a National Scenic River in 1989, the Middle Fork River is the premier jewel among Illinois’ rivers. The Middle Fork’s clean waters and healthy river habitat support an incredibly diverse number of wildlife, including more than 57 types of fish and 190 different birds. For more information on the Middle Fork River visit http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/r3/Natlriv.htm.

Future River Discovery Programs will be scheduled during the summer, additional information on these will be posted on our website.

- Attributed to a Chinese Philosopher

Interior of the Traveling Science Center

Join us on May 15, 2010 at Kickapoo State Park for a tour of the new Traveling Science Center dedicated to river life…and a day spent on the bank of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River (guilt free).

Prairie Rivers Network has teamed up with the Illinois Natural History Survey to create this mobile exhibit. The “Traveling Science Center” houses an interactive display of the great biodiversity within our waters. The Traveling Science Center will tour East-central Illinois in 2010, with plans to reach other communities in 2011.

On May 15, 2010, East-central Illinoisans can see the exhibit and attend a special aquatic insects workshop offered by Dr. Ed Dewalt of the Illinois Natural History Survey.

(Listings of TSC public events will be posted on our event calendar as they are scheduled.)

Dr. Christopher Taylor will be on hand, netting fish, and some of the INHS scientists will be trapping turtles. It will be a great day!

What: Traveling Science Center + Aquatic Insects Workshop

When: May 15, 2010, 10-4 (workshops offered at 11 am and 2 pm)

How: Free and open to the public (sign up for workshop by emailing jmui@inhs.illinois.edu)

For more information: 224-234-0199

River protection depends on people who have the opportunity to fall in love with a natural place.

“I have a wish for humanity: that all of our children would become field naturalists as they grow up. Imagine living in a society where every youth has the chance to explore the Earth on foot and in hand, getting to know its creatures on a first-name basis. ” — Gary Paul Nabhan

Research shows that the outdoor experiences of our youth provide the foundation for a lifelong ethic of stewardship. This is why Prairie Rivers Network has teamed up with Illinois Public Media (Champaign-Urbana’s PBS affiliate), Kickapoo State Park, the U of I College of Media, the Danville Public Library and Keep Vermilion County Beautiful on a project to connect teens and their families with Kickapoo State Park. Middle and high-school students from the Danville Boys and Girls Club will produce video Public Service Announcements, aimed at other teens, to encourage them to visit and use the park. {Continue Reading »}