The Resilient Communities Webinar Series presented Reviving Illinois’ Wetlands on March 24th, 2026. Our audience waded through examples of wetlands restoration projects, heard about all the amazing benefits these habitats provide, and learned about the Illinois Wetlands Protection Act, proposed state legislation which would protect the remaining 10% of Illinois’ wetlands. Watch the full webinar here.
Illinois’ Wetland Projects
Paul Botts, Executive Director of The Wetlands Initiative (TWI), kicked off the show with a bird’s-eye view of the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, which boasts over 3,000 acres of restored habitat. These wetlands are hotspots for biodiversity and scenic beauty. They improve water quality and help manage floodwaters, making them a critical asset for resilience and adaptation as our climate continues to change. He also addressed common misconceptions about wetlands: that they breed mosquitos, worsen flooding, or threaten private property rights. Using hydric soil distribution maps, Paul showed how Illinois’ wetlands are actually a constellation of scattered sites knitting together the state’s bottomlands, prairie, and woodlands. He traced the history of how Illinois lost 90% of our wetlands and what they still do for us today.
The Dixon Refuge itself is a powerful example of a successful wetland restoration. The site spent 75 years under row crop agriculture with a drainage district. TWI took over the property when the landowners grew tired of maintaining the infrastructure required to continuously drain these lands. The pumps were shut off in 2001, and the seed bank that was suppressed for decades flourished. The site is now an Audubon Society Important Bird Area and was designated a Wetland of International Importance in 2012.
The Wetland Initiative “What is a Wetland?” infographic further define wetlands and provide examples. Find the infographic here.
Glenn Sanders, the Director of the Mississippi Valley Hunters and Fishermen’s Association (MVHFA), described a different kind of success story near Quincy, IL. The Bob Bangert Park Redevelopment Project transformed a neglected site—once the city dump—into 26 acres of restored wetland, complete with an educational pavilion, viewing stations, and an observation deck. Nestled within the Mississippi River’s floodplain, the site was deemed unfit for recreational uses like soccer fields. So in 2017, MVHFA partnered with the Quincy Park District to restore the site’s natural habitat. The project features a diverse range of wetland habitats, including flooded tree unit, moist soil plant, thermal cover, and open grassland units. These different units are managed for specific plant and wildlife species, creating a complex landscape that caters to a wide breadth of native wildlife. Glenn emphasized that these projects were only possible through local partnerships. Through MVHFA’s hard work, the site received the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Service Award in 2021 and remains an accessible green space for locals to immerse themselves in nature, learn, and appreciate these vital habitats.
Robert Hirschfeld, Director of Water Policy at Prairie Rivers Network, wrapped up the webinar by turning to the policy crisis facing Illinois’ remaining wetlands due to recent rollbacks of federal wetlands protections. He started with the basics: the particular hydrology, soil, and plant characteristics that define wetlands and make them critical habitat for a wide array of species. In particular, he focused on how these landscapes act as giant sponges soaking up excess rainfall during the wet seasons and slowly releasing it. Many wetlands aren’t visibly wet year-round; they become dry during droughts and then refill with the rains.
This natural cycle is now the focus of a profound legal question for wetlands in the U.S. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Sackett vs. EPA case that the Clean Water Act only protects wetlands that have a “continuous surface water connection” to a relatively permanent body of water. To qualify for protection, wetlands would need to be indistinguishable from the river or lake next to them. But that’s not how most wetlands work. The very feature that makes them valuable—their ability to absorb and hold stormwater, swelling and receding with the seasons—is the same feature that now disqualifies them from federal protection. EPA’s own estimate is that 94.6% of Illinois’ remaining wetlands are not covered by the Clean Water Act, and thus at greater risk of development and destruction.
Protect Illinois Wetlands
The Sackett decision and subsequent Trump administration rulemakings have stripped federal wetlands protections from millions of acres across the country.
In Illinois, where 90% of our historic wetlands are already gone, those that remain are now vulnerable to development and destruction with no federal backstop.
Without action at the state level, more will disappear—and with them, the flood protection, water filtration, and wildlife habitat they provide. Wetlands are one of Illinois’ greatest natural assets. A single acre of wetland can store 1 to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater, saving Illinois communities hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage annually. They filter out pollution that would otherwise contaminate streams and drinking water sources. As natural carbon sinks, wetlands help fight climate change. And more than a third of North American bird species depend on wetlands for survival.
Wetlands are a natural solution to many of our most pressing environmental problems. We can’t afford to keep losing them.
Tell your legislators to cosponsor HB 3596/SB 2401, the Illinois Wetlands Protection Act—and protect the wetlands the federal government is leaving behind.
