This summer, Vermilion County resident, David Hale, has sent us some great photos of wildlife along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. Since the river was protected with a special federal designation in 1989, David has been eyewitness to the return of the animals that make it such a special place. In March of […]
Riverside Habitat
Two Illinois Wetlands Receive International Honors
Since Europeans first settled in Illinois, changes in land use and development destroyed 90 percent of the state’s wetlands. Protecting and restoring those that remain has been a high priority for all who cherish clean water and quality wildlife habitat. In June, two such efforts, the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge and the Emiquon Complex (which includes Emiquon […]
Preserving Wildlife Habitat for the Protection of Illinois’ Rivers
Prairie Rivers Network works with local agencies and citizens to finalize action plan that will advance Vermilion River conservation Prairie Rivers Network, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, has completed a plan to protect wildlife in the Vermilion River Conservation Opportunity Area. These efforts have also resulted in the formation of a […]
Mississippi Memories: My Life in Anoka, Minnesota
The winning essay from Prairie Rivers Network’s “Our Upper Mississippi River: Connection, Inspiration, Transformation” essay contest! By Rebecca Gearhart The gentle way that the Mississippi River flowed past my childhood home did not change much during the 1970s and 80s when I lived there, and its presence was a source of stability when everything else […]
Your Tax Dollars and the Army Corps of Engineers
With spring’s longer and warmer days, many of us are getting out to enjoy Illinois’ multitude of diverse rivers and streams. These winding waterways are often the closest, perhaps the only, bit of natural landscape that many Illinois residents have for recreation and rejuvenation. A few of us might still be stuck inside, scrambling to finish our […]
