The Wetlands Initiative

TO RESTORE THE WETLAND RESOURCES OF THE MIDWEST.

IN 2020, THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CAUSED THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE (TWI) TO ADAPT AND CAREFULLY RETHINK PROCEDURES TO ENSURE FIELD CREWS COULD CARRY OUT THEIR WORK SAFELY. DESPITE THE YEAR'S CHALLENGES, TWI WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ITS ON-THE-GROUND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PROJECTS AND, IN SOME CASES, EVEN EXPAND THEM. AT TWI'S DIXON WATERFOWL REFUGE IN NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOISONE OF ONLY 41 RAMSAR WETLANDS OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE IN THE COUNTRYSITE MANAGERS CONTINUED TO MAINTAIN THE REFUGE'S 3,000 ACRES OF HIGH-QUALITY RESTORED HABITATS WHILE INITIATING A NEW RESTORATION EFFORT. IN SUMMER 2020, TWI BEGAN CONTROLLING INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES AND PREPARING TRAIL ACCESS TO VIOLET MEADOW, A PARCEL OF PRAIRIE, WET MEADOW, MARSH, AND WOODLAND HABITATS IN THE REFUGE'S NORTHEAST CORNER. MEANWHILE, TWI ECOLOGISTS INITIATED A FOURTH YEAR OF DATA COLLECTION ON THE REFUGE'S SANDY HOLLOW TRACT AS PART OF A RESEARCH PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL GREAT RIVERS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER. THE STUDY FOCUSES ON QUANTIFYING HOW SOIL CARBON AND NUTRIENT LEVELS CHANGE OVER TIME AS A RESULT OF RESTORING FARMLAND BACK TO PRAIRIE. THE FINDINGS COULD ULTIMATELY SHOW HOW PRAIRIE RESTORATION IN THE MIDWEST CAN HELP ADDRESS THE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND NUTRIENT RUNOFF INTO WATERWAYS.IN 2020, TWI MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS TO RESTORE VALUABLE HEMI-MARSH IN THE URBAN AND HEAVILY INDUSTRIAL CALUMET REGION, BOTH ON CHICAGO'S SOUTHEAST SIDE AND IN NORTHWEST INDIANA. AT INDIAN RIDGE MARSH IN CHICAGO, TWI'S PRIMARY FOCUS WAS ERADICATION OF INVASIVE PLANTS, AS SPRING NATIVE PLANTING WAS CONSTRAINED BY THE PANDEMIC. MEANWHILE, TWI'S PARTNER THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT COMPLETED AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP OF SHORELINE MODIFICATION AT THE SITE'S NORTH END, FILLING IN THE STEEP BANKS AND CREATING A MORE GRADUAL HABITAT TRANSITION ZONE. MARSH BIRD MONITORING FOUND AN ALMOST IMMEDIATE POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE CHANGES. AT THE SAME TIME, AS PART OF THE LITTLE CALUMET CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE, TWI GUIDED THE FIRST STAGES OF INVASIVE MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION PREP ON FOUR PRIORITY PARCELS WITHIN THE 2,000-ACRE WEST BRANCH FLOODPLAIN CORRIDOR OF THE LITTLE CALUMET RIVER IN INDIANA. WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, TWI SCIENTISTS DEVELOPED SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES FOR HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING TO REESTABLISH MORE NATURAL WATER PATTERNS AS AN ANTICIPATED PHASE II OF RESTORATION. MEANWHILE, ENGAGEMENT FOCUSED ON LOCAL "GRASSTOP" COMMUNITY LEADERS MADE MAJOR STRIDES; THE CITY OF GARY OFFICIALLY JOINED THE COLLABORATIVE, AND THE PARTNERS ARE HAVING SUCCESS CONNECTING WITH LOCAL BLOCK CLUBS AND OTHER COMMUNITY GROUPS. THESE PROJECTS ARE DEMONSTRATING SUCCESS IN ADDRESSING URBAN CONSERVATION CHALLENGES THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT OF AREA RESIDENTS.AT THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE'S MIDEWIN NATIONAL TALLGRASS PRAIRIE, THE LARGEST PROTECTED OPEN SPACE IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN REGION AND THE COUNTRY'S FIRST NATIONAL TALLGRASS PRAIRIE, TWI COMPLETED THE FOURTH FULL YEAR OF A MASSIVE SEVEN-YEAR RESTORATION PROJECT. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOREST SERVICE AND THE NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION, TWI WORKED TO RESTORE HEALTHY PRAIRIE AND WETLAND HABITATS ON AN EXPANDED 1,341 ACRES ON MIDEWIN'S WEST SIDE. OVER WINTER 2019-20, TWI SPREAD MORE THAN 2,400 POUNDS OF SEED COMPRISED OF 159 NATIVE SPECIES. SINCE THEN, THE FIELD RESTORATION CREW FOCUSED ON CONTROLLING INVASIVE PLANTS, SHRUBS, AND TREES TO GIVE THE RESTORED PLANT COMMUNITIES A CHANCE TO THRIVE. ULTIMATELY, THIS SEVEN-YEAR PROJECT WILL TRANSFORM MORE THAN 1,900 CONTIGUOUS ACRES AT MIDEWIN BACK TO A LANDSCAPE OF DIVERSE NATIVE PRAIRIES AND WETLANDS. TWI ALSO CONTINUED A UNIQUE MILKWEED SEED PRODUCTION EFFORT AT BOTH MIDEWIN AND THE DIXON WATERFOWL REFUGE TO BENEFIT THE DECLINING MONARCH BUTTERFLY.

OVER 2020, TWI AGAIN EXPANDED FARMER OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ABOUT TILE-TREATMENT WETLANDS TO REDUCE NUTRIENT RUNOFF, SPREADING THE "GROWING WETLANDS FOR CLEAN WATER" PROJECT FROM THREE TO SIX COUNTIES IN NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THIS EXPANSION WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY ADDING ANOTHER STAFF MEMBER TO THE TEAM IN SPRING 2020: A WETLAND FIELD TECHNICIAN WHO IS DEDICATED TO CONDUCTING SITE EVALUATIONS AND PREPARING PRELIMINARY WETLAND DESIGNS, HELPING TO WORK WITH AN INCREASING NUMBER OF INTERESTED FARMERS. TWI IS ALSO COLLABORATING CLOSELY WITH LOCAL SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT OFFICES IN MULTIPLE COUNTIES WHO CAN DIRECTLY REFER TWI STAFF TO THE MOST-LIKELY LANDOWNER PROSPECTS TO IMPLEMENT THIS CONSERVATION PRACTICE. IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC, FARMER OUTREACH STRATEGIES SHIFTED FROM IN-PERSON EVENTS AND SMALL-GROUP MEETINGS TO VIRTUAL CONTACTS AND ONE-ON-ONE FIELD MEETINGS. MEANWHILE, TWI'S LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE ILLINOIS SUSTAINABLE AG PARTNERSHIP IN 2020 PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP AND EXPLORE NEW AG-SECTOR CONNECTIONS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AND DRIVE REPLICATION OF THE WETLAND PRACTICE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS FOR THESE SMALL FARM-BASED WETLANDS FOR NUTRIENT REMOVAL TO BE REPLICATED ACROSS THE MIDWESTERN FARM BELT AS A PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY.