2008 CONSERVATION REPORT | GREAT LAKES/ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE

DU’s Illinois Program Awarded $1.5 Million by Doris Duke Foundation

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation of New York has award- funds for conservation projects in Illinois and Missouri. DU is ed Ducks Unlimited’s (DU) Illinois conservation program a $1.5 working closely with IDNR and other conservation organizations million challenge grant to help “jumpstart” implementation of the to carry out this task. state wildlife action plan. Grant funds will be used to purchase and protect high-priority habitat associated with the Illinois and One of the challenges presented to DU by the Doris Duke Chari- Mississippi rivers, and in the glaciated region of northeastern Illinois. table Foundation was to leverage its grant fivefold. This means that another $7.5 million has to be raised by DU through matching The wildlife action plan is a comprehensive strategy developed by contributions of cash or donated land value. The idea is to promote the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) for conserv- an entrepreneurial approach to implementing state wildlife action ing wildlife habitat across the state. Illinois’ wildlife action plan plans faced with modest federal and state budgets. identifies habitat goals and priority habitats in need of protection. DU was one of four private conservation organizations that worked DU nominated three natural divisions to serve as demonstration with IDNR to draft the state wildlife action plan. DU continues to sites for implementing the state wildlife action plan in Illinois. assist IDNR through its participation in the action plan implemen- Designated conservation opportunity areas within each of these tation committee and is helping to lead conservation efforts associ- natural divisions also will be used by DU to further assist in target- ated with the statewide conservation campaign. ing conservation investments.

Five Midwestern states—Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and During its first round of project solicitation, DU already has identi- Missouri—are working with the Doris Duke Charitable Founda- fied 10 potential sites covering nearly 5,000 acres for acquisition tion to promote the implementation of individual state wildlife and protection. At least six different partners likely will be involved action plans within the Upper Mississippi River region. The Doris in this land protection effort, which has an estimated conservation Duke Charitable Foundation selected DU to administer its grant value of more than $10 million.

Wetland habitat proposed for protection in the Middle Illinois River Conservation Opportunity Area

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 1 ILLINOIS HABITAT HAPPENINGS

Wetland Work Wrapped Up at Wightman Lake

The final touches on a 41.5-acre wetland restoration project at Wightman Lake were completed just before Christmas, wrapping up yet another Ducks Unlimited habitat gift to the Illinois River valley. In addition to its benefit to migrating waterfowl, the Wight- man Lake project has become a showcase for how naturally func- tioning ecosystems can be restored on frequently flooded cropland.

In 2005, DU purchased 370 acres on the north end of Wightman Lake in Marshall County, with funding assistance from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and a grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The property includes half a mile of frontage on the Illinois River and an abundant number of decurrent false aster plants, a federally listed . DU’s goal in acquiring Wightman Lake was to restore it as a dem- Construction of wetland restoration levees at Wightman Lake onstration site for wetland and bottomland forest habitat restora- tion and management. maple—into an unevenly aged, ecologically diverse bottomland forest attractive to migrating waterfowl and songbirds. The primary water source for the newly restored wetland habitat is Gimlet Creek. Using an innovative design developed by DU engi- “Another unique aspect of the Wightman Lake project is its benefit neers, a portion of the flow from Gimlet Creek, which now crosses to water quality,” said DU Regional Biologist Eric Schenck. “The DU’s property through an excavated ditch, will be redirected into wetlands DU restored for waterfowl also help remove sediment and a series of three wetland impoundments. Water from Gimlet Creek excess nutrients from Gimlet Creek. This is a ‘win-win’ for both will flow from one wetland to another in a “stair-step” fashion wildlife and people.” before it enters Wightman Lake, and eventually, the Illinois River. According to Schenck, a study conducted by Bradley University The first restored wetland is a semi-permanent approxi- last summer documented seasonal nitrate levels in excess of 12 mately 20.5 acres in size, which should provide excellent spring mg/L in Gimlet Creek. Based on scientific results of similar water migration habitat for both dabbling and diving ducks. The next quality improvement projects, DU’s wetlands at Wightman Lake two wetlands, totaling about 15 acres, are designed to promote are expected to reduce nitrogen levels by 15 to 40 percent. moist soil plant production. A fourth wetland expanded an existing beaver by nearly 6 acres to provide permanent habitat for Funding for DU’s Wightman Lake project has been provided breeding wood ducks. by The Buchanan Family Foundation, Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation, Miles Hauter Foundation, the USDA Natural In addition to restoring wetland habitat at Wightman Lake, DU Resources Conservation Service, a grant from the Illinois C2000 planted approximately 22 acres of tree seedlings. DU’s forestry program, an environmental settlement secured by Illinois Attorney objectives were to re-establish pecan, oaks and other valuable General Lisa Madigan, Caterpillar, North American Wetlands hardwood tree species; promote growth of under-story shrubs and Conservation Act and the Illinois PRIDE program supported by convert the existing riparian forest—now dominated by silver DU major donors.

Greenwing Dedication Held at Spring Lake Bottoms

Moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas and a herd of spirited youth gathered on Saturday, July 28, to dedicate Ducks Unlimited’s Spring Lake Bottoms project near Manito, Ill. Included on the bronze plaque were the names of 100 Greenwing Legacy youth sponsors, many of whom were on hand to celebrate by throw- ing rocks into the water, chasing frogs and wandering as far as they dared into the muddy margins of the marsh. DU completed the 411-acre Spring Lake Bottoms project in 2005 and has since turned the site over to the Illinois Department of Natural Resourc- Greenwing Legacy Sponsors at Spring Lake Bottoms dedication site es as a new waterfowl management area.

2 www.ducks.org ILLINOIS HABITAT HAPPENINGS

Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area Ready for Dedication

New wetland habitat restored at Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area

Clinton Lake State Recreation Area has a new waterfowl man- built primarily to restore spring habitat for migrating ducks, a agement area thanks to a conservation partnership involving Ducks portable pump donated by Exelon will provide a dependable water Unlimited, Illinois Waterfowl Alliance, Clinton Lake Waterfowl supply for ducks and other waterfowl during the fall migration as Association, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and well. Exelon Generation Company (Exelon). Funding for the $300,225 Salt Creek wetland project (also known Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area is a 40.5-acre wetland im- as Trenkle ) was provided by grants from the Illinois Duck poundment that was recently constructed by DU. Located in De- Stamp program and North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Witt County, near Farmer City, the DU-designed project utilizes DU’s donated engineering costs were supported in part by funds runoff from adjoining agricultural lands to restore shallow water from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lump- habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other wetland-dependent kin Family Foundation, the Randy DeHaan family and other DU wildlife associated with Clinton Lake. Although the project was major donors. A project dedication is anticipated this summer.

Crane Lake Water Control Structure Built to Last Ducks Unlimited has completed the installation of a new water control structure for Crane Lake at Sanganois State Fish and Wild- life Area in Mason County, Ill. The structure will allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to better manage more than 1,000 acres of wetland habitat associated with Crane Lake.

Crane Lake is a backwater lake wetland located at the historic confluence of the Sangamon and Illinois rivers. Between 50,000 and 80,000 ducks routinely rest on the refuge portions of Crane Lake at the peak of fall migration. During the past couple of years a levee breach upstream on the Sangamon River has increased the flow of water into Crane Lake and hampered the ability of local site manag- ers to draw down water levels for moist soil plant production.

DU designed a high-capacity weir with six stoplog bays to accom- modate the increased flow through Crane Lake. The weir structure was constructed with sheet pile to guarantee many decades of maintenance-free service. The total cost of the project, including DU engineering expenses, was $333,360. Funding for the project was provided by the Illinois Duck Stamp program, Crane Lake Game Preserve, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Caterpillar and DU major donors. Water control structure installed by DU at Crane Lake

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 3 ILLINOIS HABITAT HAPPENINGS

DU Purchases Additional Lands in Sangamon

Ducks Unlimited has acquired two additional 40-acre tracts in the Sangamon River Delta project area thanks to a grant provided by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. These recent purchases, combined with property acquired by DU last year, protect 412 acres of wetland and bottomland forest. Equally important, DU now controls Pluckeman Slough, a strategic water- way that connects Treadway Lake and other interior wetlands at Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area with the Illinois River.

The Sangamon River Delta covers nearly 30 square miles in Mason and Cass counties. Historically, the delta was characterized by winding, braided river channels, large backwater lakes and numer- ous wetland sloughs. In the 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers channelized the lower reach of the Sangamon River, redirect- ing its course and its point of confluence with the Illinois River to the south. Today, much of the channel dredged by the Corps has filled with silt, forcing the Sangamon River to start flowing back into its original natural watercourses, which in turn feed into numerous wetlands and backwater lakes like Treadway.

“I am very pleased that DU was able to secure these two strategi- cally located parcels in an effort to protect both the hydrology and Wetland habitat protected by DU in the Sangamon River delta public access to the largest contiguous area of wilderness quality wetland habitat remaining in the Illinois River valley,” said Eliza- stewardship by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources beth Cisar, program officer with the Illinois Clean Energy Com- (IDNR). munity Foundation. “We have made an attractive bargain sale offer to IDNR. Regard- According to Regional Biologist Eric Schenck, DU would like to less of what they decide, DU is prepared to protect the property see its Sangamon River property eventually come under public and its habitat value in perpetuity,” said Schenck.

DU and Illinois Duck Stamp Program: Partners in the Parklands Few Illinois sportsmen realize that half of the proceeds of the So where does all of this money go? In 2006, a total of $1.28 mil- Illinois Duck Stamp program are dedicated to waterfowl habitat lion was used by DU Canada to restore or enhance wetlands and projects in Canada. Probably fewer are aware that funds raised by grassland nesting cover on more than 10,000 acres of marginal Ducks Unlimited in Illinois and federal funds appropriated under farmland. Another 4,600 acres of existing waterfowl habitat was the North American Wetlands Conservation Act are used to match protected through acquisition, conservation easements or long-term these dedicated duck stamp dollars and go directly to habitat leases. In addition, outreach is provided to landowners on another restoration projects in the Saskatchewan Parklands, an important 25,000 acres to promote waterfowl friendly grazing and farming breeding area for ducks that migrate through Illinois. practices.

Consider for a moment the math involved in this conservation Habitat work is targeted to priority areas of the Parklands region of partnership. Out of every $10 state duck stamp sold in Illinois, $5 is central and southeastern Saskatchewan. Of prime interest to DU dedicated to Canada. Approximately 60,000 duck stamps are sold are the portions of the Saskatchewan Parklands where breeding to Illinois waterfowl hunters every year, generating approximately duck densities exceed 40 pairs per square mile. Seventeen species $300,000 for breeding-habitat projects. DU matches these duck of ducks nest in this region and approximately 14 percent of all stamp dollars with another $300,000. The combined sum is then mallards harvested in Illinois can be traced back to breeding areas matched with $600,000 from the North American Wetlands Con- of Saskatchewan. servation Act, resulting in $1.2 million of American money headed north for habitat improvement. DU Canada is responsible for deliv- To learn more about the Parklands of Saskatchewan, please visit the ering these habitat projects in Saskatchewan and helps stretch Illinois DU Canada Web site at http://www.ducks.ca/conserve/priorities/ duck stamp dollars even further with Canadian funds. parkland.html

4 www.ducks.org ILLINOIS CONSERVATION SUMMARY

DUCKS UNLIMITED

completed current featured

Note: Project points may represent more than one project.

Wightman Lake

Salt Creek WMA

Crane Lake

Accomplishments2007

$1,129,790 invested

630 acres conserved

3,992 acres of Technical Assistance

Meet Your Illinois Biologist Eric Schenck, an Illinois previously worked as director Contact Information: native, has 20 years of experi- of conservation for the Wild- ence in wildlife conservation, life Management Institute and Eric Schenck more than half of which has chief of environmental services 229 N. Third Avenue been with DU. Eric’s educa- for the Kansas Department of Canton, IL 61520 tional background includes a Wildlife and Parks. Prior to Phone: 309.647.5651 B.S. in Wildlife Management being named regional biologist [email protected] from the University of Idaho for Illinois, he served as DU’s and an M.S. in Forest Sci- manager of agricultural policy ence from Yale University. Eric in Washington, D.C.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 5 GLARO’S CONSERVATION VISION

Remember the family vacation to your grandparents’ farm? Or that first morning in the blind with your uncle? Nearly all of us have a bond with land. Build on that connection with Ducks Unlimited’s conservation land services.

Habitat Development and Wetland Mitigation Ducks Unlimited projects on private lands provide tremendous benefits to waterfowl, other wildlife and you! DU has teams of biologists and engineers that provide wetland restoration, management and protection services directly to landowners. When a private land project is matched up with wetland mitigation funds, the result is habitat for wildlife and financial gain to the landowner. Let us know if you are interested in a wetland project on your land!

HGetabi tatInformed Protection and you

Conservation easements Conservation Lands Conservation easements provide a unique opportunity for the If you own land that contains prime wetland habitat, you can protection of private lands by restricting development and assuring donate it to DU; it benefits our mission and could provide that the property remains open as wildlife habitat in perpetuity. you with tax benefits. DU may choose to perform habitat Each easement is tailored to meet the needs and interests of each enhancement on the property while it is owned by DU. Ul- individual landowner, allowing for the protection of key natural timately, though, DU’s goal is to permanently protect the habitats while continuing to use the land for economic gain or rec- property with a and then sell that reation. Such protection assures that large areas of riparian wetland habitat to a conservation buyer. We reinvest the habitats and important uplands will be preserved for the benefit of proceeds to protect further habitat! waterfowl and other wildlife, and for future generations. Conservation Buyers Trade Lands These conservation-minded individuals Property can be donated to Ducks Unlimited with the understand- are an integral and necessary component ing that DU will sell it. Some may be personal residences or com- of DU’s ability to accomplish its mission. These buyers purchase mercial properties with no conservation value whatsoever. DU’s protected properties from DU and DU, in turn, reinvests those objective is to sell the parcel for top dollar and use the proceeds proceeds to protect more wetland and wildlife habitat that is at to fund habitat-saving transactions. DU typically will accept only risk of being lost forever to development. If you are interested in such donations when we believe the property can be converted becoming a conservation buyer, please visit DU’s Web site: readily into cash to fund our urgent wetlands conservation mission. http://prairie.ducks.org/index.cfm?&page=/cld/listings.html

6 www.ducks.org GLARO’S CONSERVATION VISION

What can your land do for you?

If you own land and care about wetlands and wildlife, you can ’s Vanishing Wetlands: help DU protect and restore wetlands and other types of habitat on Facing the Challenge your land! By letting DU know that you, or someone you know, own land and are interested in conservation, you are helping DU Poets write about it. Conservationists strive to continue it. achieve its mission of protecting, restoring and managing wetlands Sportsmen dream about it. The migration of North America’s for waterfowl, other wildlife and people. waterfowl and other birds is one of nature’s grandest and most anticipated events. Unlike a state or federal wildlife agency, DU is not a land-holding organization. Ducks Unlimited believes the urgency of its conser- Wetlands make this migration possible. Wetlands also provide vation mission is best served by acquiring, permanently protecting the foundation for North America’s water supply. We rely and divesting itself of the protected land. on them for clean and abundant water, flood protection and recreation. Wetlands are vital to us all, yet every 10 minutes Visit our Web site and participate in Ducks Unlimited’s conserva- another acre of wetlands is drained. tion efforts today! http://www.ducks.org Ducks Unlimited: Answering the Challenge

To answer the challenge to save North America’s wetlands, grasslands and waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited has embarked on the Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign, an ambitious continental effort to raise at least $1.7 billion for wetland .

With a proven track record of partnering with the private sector, government and other conservation organizations for nearly 70 years, Ducks Unlimited has restored and conserved nearly 12 million acres of crucial habitat that benefits water- fowl, other wildlife and people.

Please join us to learn more about Wetlands for Tomorrow anLeaved hel ap theLegacy ducks and the initiatives to conserve North America’s critical wetlands. There are many ways that members, volunteers and private citizens are crucial to DU’s success in conserving wetlands. One way that has become increasingly important is offering conservation opportunities on your land. Our ability to leverage grants, grassroot funds and yes, your donations, is becoming increasingly dependent upon having a solid database of potential properties. That means having a list of landowners in every state that are interested in protecting and restoring wetland habitat on their land.

Within the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, residents of the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia may also qualify for significant state income tax benefits for the donation of conservation lands or easements on their properties.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 7 FRIENDS OF DUCKS UNLIMITED

Living Lands and Waters Headquartered in East Moline, Ill, the original mission of Living Lands and Waters (LL&W) focused on cleaning up trash along the Mississippi River. However, the enthusiasm that the organization’s founder, Chad Pregracke, brought to river cleanup projects was too contagious to be confined to solving only one ecological problem facing our nation’s rivers. Today, LL&W is working to address a variety of environmental concerns, includ- ing of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers’ floodplains.

A call this summer from Pregracke set in motion two collaborative tree-planting projects involving LL&W and Ducks Unlimited. The first project took place on DU’s Rockwood Island property, along the Mississippi River in Randolph County. LL&W donated 700 trees and organized 75 volunteers to plant about 3 acres of former flood-prone cropland to pecan, white oak, burr oak, pin oak and nuttall oak. The second project planted 300 trees on about 5 acres of DU’s Wightman Lake property along the Illinois River in Marshall County. MEMCO barge representative presents $10,000 check to DU

Whether it is picking up trash, planting trees or helping victims MEMCO Barge Line of Hurricane Katrina, Pregracke and the LL&W staff can be counted on to give it their all. Prospects of future joint venture The MEMCO Barge Line (a subsidiary of American Electric projects with this ambitious organization look promising. Power) provides transportation services on the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers in Illinois. They also are long-time sup- porters of Living Lands and Waters (LL&W), and now, Ducks Unlimited.

About 15 MEMCO volunteers joined LL&W and DU to help plant trees at DU’s Rockwood Island property this past fall. In addition to their “hands-on” contribution, MEMCO took this opportunity to announce a $50,000 pledge to DU for its conser- vation work on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. A $10,000 check was presented that day to consummate its commitment.

“MEMCO barge operators pass by DU projects every day on the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers,” said Mark of MEM- CO Barge Line. “We congratulate DU on the conservation work Chad Pregracke in work boat next to barge; 2006, Mississippi River it is doing and are proud to be a sponsor of future such projects.”

Illinois PRIDE: Making a Difference This past year an expanded effort was made to step up the Illinois In turn, PRIDE donors are recognized on a DU project located in Il- PRIDE program in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited’s Wetlands for linois. DU uses PRIDE gifts made to the Illinois Conservation Program Tomorrow campaign. Illinois PRIDE (Putting Resources into Ducks to leverage other matching grants for local conservation projects. Illinois Everywhere) offers DU major donors the option of directing their gift PRIDE is a great way to personally help DU achieve its conservation toward the Illinois Conservation Program or toward other continental mission in Illinois and across the continent. To learn more about the DU priorities. Donors also have the option to fulfill their pledge over a Illinois PRIDE program, contact your local DU regional director, or five-year period and receive cumulative credit for past DU contributions. Director of Development Todd Bishop at 734.623.2000.

8 www.ducks.org