State of Illinois Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor Department of Natural Resources Joel Brunsvold, Director THE ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY VERSION 1.0 AS PRESCRIBED BY THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION & RESTORATION PROGRAM AND STATE WILDLIFE GRANTS PROGRAM ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY Version 1.0 i. Partners in Plan/Strategy Development The Illinois Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan & Strategy was made possible with the help of these partners in conservation: ABATE of Illinois, Inc. Environmental Law & Policy Center Black Diamond Chapter Field Trial Clubs of Illinois American Bird Conservancy Fishing Buddies Association of Illinois Soil & Water Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Conservation Districts Forest Preserve District of Kane County Audubon Chicago Region Forest Preserve District of Will County Bird Conservation Network Friends of Johnson Park Boone County Conservation District Grand Prairie Friends Brookfield Zoo Henson Robinson Zoo Calhoun County Farm Bureau Illinois Association of Conservation Districts Central Hardwoods Joint Venture Illinois Association of REALTORS Central Illinois Musky Hunters Illinois Association of Regional Councils Champaign County Forest Preserve District Illinois Association of Resource Chicago Botanic Garden Conservation and Development Areas Chicago Wilderness Illinois Audubon Society Cook County Forest Preserve District Illinois Conservation Foundation Cosley Zoo Illinois Department of Agriculture D.J. Case & Associates Division of Natural Resources Defenders of Wildlife Illinois Department of Transportation Ducks Unlimited Design & Environment DuPage River Fly Tyers Planning & Programming Eastern Illinois University Illinois Department of Natural Resources Department of Biological Sciences C2000 Ecosystems Program Educational Resources for Environmental Endangered Species Task Group Sciences Illinois Natural History Survey Embarras Volunteer Stewards Office of Land Management & Environmental Education Association of Education Illinois Office of Law Enforcement -i- ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY Version 1.0 i. Partners in Plan/Strategy Development Illinois Department of Natural Resources National Wild Turkey Federation Office of Realty & Environmental Illinois Chapter Planning Northern Illinois Anglers Association Office of Resource Conservation Northern Illinois Conservation Club Private Lands Task Group Organization of Wildlife Planners Illinois Endangered Species Protection Partners in Flight Board Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Pheasants Forever Illinois Farm Bureau Prairie Rivers Network Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources Quail Unlimited Illinois Forestry Development Council Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program Sand Bluff Bird Observatory Illinois Nature Preserves Commission Shawnee Audubon Society Illinois State Museum Sierra Club Illinois State University Illinois Chapter Department of Biological Sciences Northwest Cook County Group International Association of Fish & Wildlife Shawnee Group Agencies Southern Illinois University Izaak Walton League Cooperative Wildlife Research Illinois Division Laboratory Champaign County Chapter Southwestern Illinois RC & D Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation The Natural Lands Institute Kankakee County Soil & Water The Nature Conservancy Conservation District The Ornithological Council Lake County Forest Preserve District The Wildlife Society Lincoln Park Zoo Illinois Chapter Little John Conservation Club Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Macon County Conservation District Trout Unlimited McHenry County Conservation District Illinois Council Union County Farm Bureau United Bowhunters of Illinois -ii- ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY Version 1.0 i. Partners in Plan/Strategy Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign US Fish & Wildlife Service Department of Natural Resources & Region 3 Development Assistance Environmental Sciences Team Urbana Park District Chicago Field Office Upper Des Plaines River Ecosystem Illinois River National Fish & Wildlife Partnership Refuges Complex Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Mark Twain National Fish & Wildlife Joint Venture Refuges Complex US Army Corps of Engineers National Acceptance Advisory Team Rock Island District Rock Island Field Office St. Louis District Upper Mississippi River National US Department of Agriculture Fish & Wildlife Refuges Complex Farm Service Agency Western Illinois University Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Department of Biological Sciences Natural Resources Conservation Whiteside County Soil and Water Service Conservation District Shawnee National Forest Will County Forest Preserve District Winnebago County Forest Preserve District Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Special Thanks to the C2000 Ecosystem Partnerships EMBARRAS RIVER AMERICAN BOTTOM FOX RIVER BIG RIVERS HEADWATERS CACHE RIVER HEART OF THE SANGAMON CARLYLE LAKE RIVER DRIFTLESS AREA ILLINOIS RIVER BLUFFS DUPAGE RIVER COALITION KANKAKEE RIVER -iii- ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY Version 1.0 i. Partners in Plan/Strategy Development C2000 Ecosystem Partnerships PRAIRIE PARKLANDS KASKASKIA RIVER/SHOAL CREEK ROCK RIVER KINKAID AREA WATERSHED SALINE BASIN KISHWAUKEE RIVER SHAWNEE WATERSHED LAKE CALUMET SPOON RIVER LA MOINE RIVER SUGAR-PECATONICA RIVERS LOWER DES PLAINES RIVER THORN CREEK MACROSITE LOWER KASKASKIA/SILVER UPPER DES PLAINES RIVER CREEK UPPER KASKASKIA RIVER LOWER ROCK RIVER UPPER LITTLE WABASH LOWER SANGAMON VALLEY UPPER ROCK RIVER MACKINAW RIVER UPPER SALT CREEK OF THE MISSISSIPPI WESTERN FIVE SANGAMON NORTH BRANCH OF THE VERMILION RIVER CHICAGO RIVER VERMILION WATERSHED TASK OZARK FORCE -iv- ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY Version 1.0 ii. Acknowledgments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Illinois Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan & Strategy (Plan/Strategy) has been made possible by tremendous cooperation and collaboration among many agencies, organizations and individuals. All of the agencies and organizations participating in the planning process are acknowledged on the previous pages. A number of excellent conservation plans were consulted and incorporated into this document (Table 3). The Plan/Strategy steering committee provided helpful guidance to the process (Table 2). Special thanks to the scientists who contributed to status assessments, objectives, and natural division assessments. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service was most helpful in guiding development of the Plan/Strategy, and the International Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies provided much- appreciated support to Illinois and the other states. Though the Illinois Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan & Strategy documents much work needs to be done, the accomplishments of yesterday’s and today’s conservationists provide an excellent foundation for the future. Thanks to the Teaming With Wildlife Coalition, the Wildlife Conservation & Restoration Program and State Wildlife Grants Program are providing additional support to habitat and wildlife conservation. Development of the Illinois Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan & Strategy was supported by State Wildlife Grant Program funding (Federal Aid Project T-2-P-1). -v- ILLINOIS COMPREHENSIVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PLAN & STRATEGY Version 1.0 iii. Foreword FOREWORD Illinois' Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan is a truly historic effort; never before has such a detailed, science-based plan for conserving our state's wildlife been undertaken. This process stretched over several months, and involved professional wildlife biologists, and also a knowledgeable steering committee representing several non-governmental wildlife and conservation organizations. In addition, the draft plan was presented at a number of regional meetings open to other interested groups and the general public, and was available to all on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website. Wildlife and habitat data from public and private sources were evaluated and incorporated into the evolving plan. Most importantly, the final plan presented here is one which involves action. It is not just an inventory of species, but a plan to address the particular needs of wildlife that are declining so that populations can be stabilized and then increased. Many conservation projects in the past have been opportunistic and lacked a true sense of direction that could be plotted, tracked and designated as successful. Long-range landscape-level planning is one important component that leads to successful recovery efforts like those exemplified by wild turkeys and waterfowl. The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan is a way to make habitat management and land protection targeted at ecosystems as exciting and successful as the aforementioned restoration efforts. It will guide future conservation efforts by outlining specific areas where limited dollars can be targeted to make positive impacts that are measurable. At the same time, all those entities with a vested interest in conservation--who have been part of the planning process--can work together more effectively in achieving the wildlife habitat goals which have been identified. The strategies outlined herein will focus future action by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and many not-for-profit organizations which are involved in saving, restoring and managing wildlife habitat.