Full Answer
What are the wetland communities of Illinois?
Below the wetland communities is a description of the habitat and soil information The swamp communities of Illinois are the northernmost remnant of vast network that once covered much of the southern United States. Many plant and animal species that occur here are at the northernmost edge of their range.
How many acres of wetlands were there in the 1600s?
At the time of European settlement in the early 1600's, the area that was to become the conterminous United States had approximately 221 million acres of wetlands.
What will replace the emergent wetlands in Illinois?
Many emergent wetlands, left undisturbed, will gradually be replaced through succession by woody vegetation that will in time develop northeastern Illinois, which climax with the scrub-shrub phase. The scrub-shrub wetland is often found grading shoreward from an emergent wetland which borders a lake, stream, or pond.
Are there any wet meadows in Illinois?
Wet meadows were once common through Illinois, but now only small remnants remain. They were often found associated with wetland types, especially at the drier fringes of a lake, pond, or marsh. In some areas, wet meadows are often partially drained and farmed , and therefore lack the vegetation typical of this community.
What percent of wetlands are in Illinois?
The situation is even more grim in Illinois. In 1818 there were over 8 million acres, or 23% of the total land area, of wetlands in the state. Today, only 1,251,240 acres (2.5% of the State) remains as wetlands. A staggering 90% of Illinois' wetlands have been destroyed.
What has happened to most of the wetlands in Illinois?
Most of the other 90 percent have been destroyed by human activities. The primary reason for loss has been conversion of land for agricultural purposes, though in some areas urban and/or industrial development has been predominantly responsible for wetland destruction and degradation.
Where are the wetlands in Illinois?
The State contains several ecologically significant wetlands. Two examples are Beall \\bods on the Wabash River in eastern Illinois and the swamps along the Cache River in the southern part of the State.
What state has the most wetlands?
AlaskaAlaska continues to have the vast majority of wetland acres. with an estimated 170 million- approximately 45 percent of that state's total surface area. Among the lower48 states, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas have the greatest wetland acreage.
What percentage of the Midwest's wetlands were drained for agriculture?
80-87 percentthe 124 million acres drained, 80-87 percent have been drained for ag? ricultural purposes.
Does the Midwest have wetlands?
Wetlands have been—and continue to be—drained and filled in order to make way for agriculture or development. Roughly half of Michigan's and Wisconsin's wetland acreage has been lost—but that's better than other Midwest states such as Ohio and Illinois, where only about 10% of historic wetlands remain.
Can you tile a wetland?
Sometimes tile plans are developed to put tile through a wetland. This operation needs to be evaluated by NRCS prior to installation, and the impact to the wetland must be minimized. In most cases, solid tile installed with a tile plow through a wetland will be considered minimal impact.
Does Illinois have swamps?
They occur in the northern part of Illinois in glacial kettles, or in floodplain forests where ponds are present. True swamps in Illinois are dominated by bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and/or tupelo gum trees (Nyssa aquatica) and are restricted in their distribution to the southern portion of the state.
Does Illinois have marshes?
Marshes were once common throughout Illinois, but today, only a few remnants remain. Many of these areas are part of larger wetland complexes, occurring along the border of a pond or within the floodplain of a stream.
What state loses the most wetlands?
FloridaState wetland losses: Florida has lost the most acreage cover -- 9.3 million acres. California has lost the largest percentage of original wetlands in the state -- 91%. Twenty-two states have lost more than 50% of their original wetlands.
Which state lost the largest total acreage of wetlands over the past 200 years?
The state with the highest percent loss of wetlands is California (an estimated 91 percent loss from the 1780's to the 1980's). Florida has lost approximately 9.3 million acres of wetlands during this 200-year timespan .
What is the largest wetland in the United States?
Atchafalaya SwampThis is Atchafalaya Basin or Atchafalaya Swamp, the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in central Louisiana, near Breaux Bridge and Grosse Tete, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge.
Where are the most wetlands located?
Which Regions Have the Most Wetlands? About 30 percent of the world's wetlands are located in North America. Some of them developed after previous glaciation created lakes. Asia and North America combined contain over 60 percent of the world's wetland area.
Where are wetlands located in the US?
Wetlands are found in every state, although most of America's wetlands occur in the eastern half of the continent where climate and natural geologic processes such as glaciation created an abundance of aquatic habitat. Minnesota, Florida, and Louisiana each have over 10 million acres of wetlands.
What states have swamp land?
The 10 Most Photogenic Swamps In The United States4 The Honey Island Swamp In Louisiana.5 The Alakai Plateau In Hawaii. ... 6 The Atchafalaya Swamp In Louisiana. ... 7 The Okefenokee Swamp In Florida And Georgia. ... 8 The Four Holes Swamp In South Carolina. ... 9 The Congaree Bottomlands In South Carolina. ... 10 The Dismal Swamp In Virginia. ... More items...•
Where are wetlands usually found?
Inland/non-tidal wetlands are most common on floodplains along rivers and streams (riparian wetlands), in isolated depressions surrounded by dry land (for example, playas, basins and "potholes"), along the margins of lakes and ponds, and in other low-lying areas where the groundwater intercepts the soil surface or ...
What are the three federal agencies that regulate wetlands in Illinois?
These agencies work cooperatively with one another for the protection of these resources. Three Federal Agencies: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA/NRCS) make up this list along with two state agencies: the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency ( IEPA).
What is wetlands regulation?
Wetland regulation is a complex topic. There are a myriad of laws designed to protect wetlands. There are also sometimes overlapping authorities given to different government entities. Some of these entities use slightly different wetland definitions. With so many laws, regulatory entities, and wetland definitions, determining who has jurisdiction over a specific wetland or activity and what procedures must be followed can be confusing. The following section attempts to explain the regulatory processes most inpiduals and organizations are likely to encounter.
What are the different agencies that regulate wetland?
Each agency is granted specific wetland regulatory authorities through separate federal or state legislative acts. The USEPA receives its authority from the 1972 federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act (CWA). The USACE receives its authority from Section 404 of the same act. The USDA/NRCS receives its authority from the National Food Security Act of 1985 (NFSA) and its subsequent amendments. IDNR receives most of its authority from the Interagency Wetlands Policy Act of 1989 (IWPA) and peripheral authority through the state's Rivers, Lakes, and Streams Act (RLSA). IEPA receives its authority from Section 401 of the CWA.
How many acres of wetlands were there in the Conterminous?
United States. At the time of European settlement in the early 1600's, the area that was to become the conterminous United States had approximately 221 million acres of wetlands. About 103 million acres remained as of the mid-1980's (Dahl and Johnson, 1991).
When did wetland drainage begin?
Early 1600's to 1800--Colonial Settlement. Wetland drainage began with permanent settlement of Colonial America. Throughout the 1600's and 1700's, colonization was encouraged by European monarchs to establish footholds in North America. The effects of this colonization on the landscape became obvious in the early to mid-1700's.
How have society's views about wetlands changed?
Society's views about wetlands have changed considerably--especially in the last half century. Interest in the preservation of wetlands has increased as the value of wetlands to society has become more fully understood.
What innovation allowed the channelizing or clearing of small waterways at the expense of adjacent wetlands?
Another innovation, the steam-powered dredge, allowed the channelizing or clearing of small waterways at the expense of adjacent wetlands. Between 1810 and 1840, new agricultural implements--plows, rakes, and cultivators--enabled settlers to break ground previously not considered for farming (McManis, 1964).
What were the incentives for the destruction of wetlands?
By the 1960's, most political, financial, and institutional incentives to drain or destroy wetlands were in place. The Federal Government encouraged land drainage and wetland destruction through a variety of legislative and policy instruments. For example, the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (1954) directly and indirectly increased the drainage of wetlands near flood-control projects (Erickson and others, 1979). The Federal Government directly subsidized or facilitated wetland losses through its many public-works projects, technical practices, and cost-shared drainage programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Erickson, 1979). Tile and open-ditch drainage were considered conservation practices under the Agriculture Conservation Program--whose policies caused wetland losses averaging 550,000 acres each year from the mid-1950's to the mid-1970's (Office of Technology Assessment, 1984). Agriculture was responsible for more than 80 percent of these losses (Frayer and others, 1983). Figure 12 shows States with notable wetland losses between 1950 and 1990.
How did the Civil War affect wetlands?
The American Civil War (1861-65) affected wetlands because traversing swamps and marshes with heavy equipment presented major logistical problems for both armies. The design, engineering, and construction of transportation and communication networks were stimulated. Attention became focused on the development of routes around, through, or over water bodies and wetlands, and on production of accurate maps (fig. 7). These maps provided an early glimpse of some of the Nation's wetlands.#N#(Click on image for a larger version)#N#Figure 7. Confederate States of America map of Southeastern United States with wetlands depicted for strategic rather than natural resources value. (Source: National Archives, Record Group 94, Civil War Atlas, Plate CXLIV.) States with notable wetland loss, 1800 to 1860.
What were the most important projects that affected the wetlands?
Technology was increasingly important in manipulation of the Nation's water resources. Two of the most notable projects that affected wetlands were California's Central Valley Project and the lock and dam system on the Mississippi River. #N#Although draining had begun one-half century earlier, wetland modification in the Central Valley accelerated early in the 20th century. By the 1920's, about 70 percent of the original wetland acreage had been modified by levees, drainage, and water-diversion projects (Frayer and others, 1989). In the 1930's, large-scale flood-control projects, diversion dams, and water-control structures were being built on the tributary rivers entering the valley.
How many acres of wetlands were there in the 1600s?
At the time of European settlement in the early 1600's, the area that was to become the conterminous United States had approximately 221 million acres of wetlands. About 103 rnillion acres remained as of the mid-1980's (Dahl and Johnson, 1991). Six States lost
How did the Civil War affect wetlands?
The American Civil War (1861-65) affected wetlands because traversing swamps and marshes with heavy equipmentpresented major logistical problems for both armies. The design, engineering, and construction of transportation and communication networks were stimulated. Attention became focused on the development of routes around, through, or over water bodies and wetlands, and on production of accurate maps (fig. 7). These maps provided an early glimpse of some of the Nation's wetlands. After the war, the ation's attention focused on westward expansion and settlement. Railroads were important in the initial development of transportation routes. The railroads not only opened new lands, including wetlands, to development, but the railroad industry also was a direct consumer of wetland forest products. In the 1860's, more than 30,000 miles of railroad track existed in the United States (Stover, 1961). The railroads of Ohio consumed I million cords of wood annually just for fuel (Gordon, 1969). The additional quantity of wood used for ties is not known. From 1859 to 1885, intense timber cutting and land clearing eliminated many of Ohio's wetlands, including the Black Swamp (fig. 8).
What were the major projects that affected the wetlands?
Technology was increasingly important in manipulation of the Nation's water resources. Two of the most notable projects that affected wetlands were California's Central Valley Project and the lock and dam system on the Mississippi River.
What is the history of the Horicon Marsh?
The history of the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin is an example of how people's atti tudes toward wetlands have changed through time (fig. 13). Horicon Marsh was dammed, flooded, and renamed Lake
How many acres of wetlands are there in Illinois?
Despite Illinois experiencing heavy wetland losses upwards of 80 percent due to land use changes, our state currently has more than 1.7 million acres of wetlands. Surveying each wetland is just not feasible; we had to come up with another solution.
What birds live in wetlands in Illinois?
We also have a great many migratory and resident bird species that use wetlands in Illinois: wading birds, waterfowl, shorebirds, secretive marsh birds and others. One common theme for all of those: water. Birds in these groups not only rely on wetlands, but they rely on those wetlands having water when they are trying to use those areas.
What does the blue bar on the wetlands graph mean?
This graph shows what portion of the mapped wetlands were inundated, dry, mud or a mix of all three. Blue bars represents the inundated area in each sampling period.
Why are wetlands important?
That is vital information because those wetland types are often the most important for meeting the habitat requirements for those wetland-dependent bird groups such as providing food and cover from predators.
Why don't we have wetlands monitoring?
That said, we do not have extensive monitoring systems on wetlands across the state because there are just too many and they vary widely in size.
Is Illinois a wetland?
When we hear “wetland,” each of us probably has a different image pop into our head. Illinois boasts a wide variety of wetlands including the cypress swamps of the Cache River; large marshes along the Illinois River; wet prairies at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie; and rivers, ponds and lakeshores dotting the state from border to border. One common theme in almost everyone’s image of a wetland, though: water.
Do wetlands have water?
Surprisingly, wetlands don’t always have water. The cycle of dry and wet periods can have a strong influence on nutrient availability, plant growth, and other critical wetland processes, so it would not be wise to have all of Illinois’ wetlands inundated, or covered with water, all of the time. Instead, we need to have a good understanding of which wetlands are inundated and when so that we can properly plan wetland conservation and management for those bird groups that rely on inundated wetlands.
When do prairies appear?
From May to October they are covered with tall grass and flower-producing weeds. In June and July, these prairies seem like an ocean of flowers, of various hues, and waving to the breezes which sweep over them.”. Henry S. Tanner, 1832.
What was the Chicago River lined with?
Before Europeans settled here, the sluggish Chicago River was lined with cattails and miles of indistinguishable marsh. Native Americans trolled for wild rice in several areas, including the area near the river’s outlet into the Lake.
What is the largest tall grass prairie in the world?
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is the only national tallgrass prairie, and if its 20,000 acres are ever fully restored, it will be the largest tallgrass prairie in the world. The prairie’s disappearing act occurred almost overnight, starting In 1837, the same year the city of Chicago was incorporated.
What was the Midewin area in 1940?
In the 1940s, the Midewin area was quickly transformed again, this time into a U.S. Army munitions plant that built bombs and shipped them around the world. Wendy Tresouthick’s tour offered a glimpse of a Midewin that’s in transition again: from munitions plant and back to prairie.
Why did Native Americans start fires?
Midewin contains archaeological evidence that Native Americans were present there thousands of years ago; they started prairie fires to maintain grazing lands for animals they hunted , and they sometimes created agricultural settlements at the edges of the prairies.
What animals roamed the prairies?
The landscape wasn’t just expansive – it could be hazardous. Rattlesnakes, bison, elk, prairie dogs, salamander, deer, lizards, wolves, bears and coyotes used to roam the prairies, savannas and forests. Black passenger pigeons, now extinct, sometimes filled the skies.
Where is the last stand for tall grass prairie?
Today tallgrass prairies are more rare than rainforests. And the true last stand for tallgrass prairie is actually in Chicago’s backyard.