illliii'p ]i i iiiilffl,'isiPSi fJi J! ! tUl! on or '"'^" before ,he La.es. Da.e !;S;ed ^1" .H.'W I .') 2001 MAR JUL 14 ^4 I 3 2003 AUG 1 8 1994 JIOV J^;.; 'J 4 M J! J OCT 9 1996 14 m 1 3 Wr1337 2007 JUL 1 8 DEC 07 1997 »r! I 1997 APR 91998 MAR 1811393 LI6I—O-l09« ILLINOIS NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY TECHNICAL REPORT UNIVERSITY OF AT L . _ .-AIGN BOOKSIAQKa TECHNICAL REPORT ILLINOIS NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY performed under contract to the ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION by the DEPARTMENT OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS • URBANA-CHAMPAIGN and the NATURAL LAND INSTITUTE ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS This study was conducted for the State of Illinois pursuant to Contract #50-75-226 of the Illinois De- partment of Conservation. The study was financed in part through a planning grant from the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, U.S. Depart- ment of the Interior, under provisions of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (PL 88-578). Illinois Department of Conservation personnel re- sponsible for preparing the Request for Proposals and coordinating the work included John Schweg- man, contract liaison officer, and Dr. Edward Hoff- man, Dr. Robert Lee, Marlin Bowles, and Robert Schanzle. Published November 1978 Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana For additional Information Natural Areas Section Illinois Department of Conservation 605 Stratton Building Springfield, Illinois 62706 Dv\ '^^ Thf Illinois Natural Areas hwfutory u'os a 3-year project to find and describe natural areas for the Illinois Department of Consen'ation. The results of the inventory will be used to develop and implement a state natural area plan, to protect the diversity of natural features in Illinois. Methods forfinding natural areas consisted oj compiling available information, examin- ing maps and aerial photos, aerial surveys, and on-site inspections. As many as 90 items of information were compiled for the sigtiificant sites. A computer-based system was de- veloped to store, retrieve, and analyze the information. The 1,089 sites identified as natural areas have a total of 1,730 significant features. Six hundred and ten natural areas were identified because of their high quality, relatively undisturbed communities of plants and animals. There are 269 areas with endangered species, 160 outstanding geologic areas, and 17 outstanding aquatic areas. Two hundred and fifty-one areas are nature preserves or school natural areas. The approximate acreages of high quality, relatively undisturbed areas of land and water identified by the Inventory are as follows: 13,500 acres offorests, 2,300 acres of prairies, 1,300 acres of savannas, 6,000 acres of wetlands, 2,000 acres of lakes and ponds, and 600 acres of rocky glades and similar communities. These relatively undisturbed areas include seven-hundredths of 1% of Illinois' total land and water area. The natural areas represent a wide diversity of natural features. Most geologic forma- tions, major soil associations, and topographic features occur in at least one site listed by the project. Natural areas were found in all but three counties, but they are concen- trated in hilly regions, along rivers, and near cities. About one-third of the natural areas are receiving some degree (f protection, but only one-fifth of the significant natural features can be considered permanently protected. Half of the areas are threatened with destruction from changes in the me of the land. Principal Investigator ROBERT B. RILEY Director: Surveys JOHN WHITE Director: Information System CALVIN C. CORBIN (1977-78) BRUCE HANNA (1975-77) Director: Administration JOHN NELSON (1975-77) Survey Personnel Natural Area Ecologists JOHN A. BACONE RANDY W. NYBOER FRANCIS M. HARTY GERALD PAULSON MAX D. HUTCHISON DOUGLAS C. WALLACE DONALD R. KURZ L. KEITH WILSON Senior Assistants MARILOU HINRICHS MICHAEL H. MADANY KATHRYN KERR Field Assistants DONALD COONS WARREN NETHERTON MARGARET M. FOSTER THOMAS POST MICHAEL A. HOMOYA WILLIAM P. PUSATERI T. REEVES JULIAN J. LEWIS JOHN ROBBIN C. MORAN ERICA L. ROWE Technical Assistants JEFFREY ACKER KATHLEEN FINNEY THOMAS BROWN CAROL QUALKINBUSH STEPHEN ENGLAND DAVID STUDTMAN DONNA EVANS Information System Personnel JANET FININ JERRY SCHLESINGER MICHAEL GRADY RIKKI WELSH Administrative Personnel JO POWELL CANDY WILLUT Natural Land Institute GEORGE B. FELL GERALD PAULSON GLADYS CAMPBELL DR. CHARLES J. SHEVIAK MAX D. HUTCHISON RICHARD H. THOM Consultants DR. FAKHRI A. BAZZAZ, University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign DR. JOHN E. EBINGER, Eastern Illinois University DR. LAWRENCE M. PAGE, Illinois Natural History Survey DR. PHILIP W. SMITH, Illinois Natural History Survey DR. H. B. W'lLLMAN, Illinois Stale Geological Survey ILLINOIS NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY TECHNICAL REPORT VOLUME I SURVEY METHODS AND RESULTS John White lUinois Natural Areas Inventory Urbana November 1978 CONTENTS Part I. INTRODUCTION 1. Summary 3 2. Introduction 7 Purpose of the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory 7 Scope of this Report 7 Importance of Preserving Natural Areas 7 Need for a Comprehensive Natural Areas Inventory 8 3. Basic Organization of the Inventory 12 Inventory Requirements and Guidelines 12 Definition of a natural area 12 Sources of information 12 Some basic guidelines 13 Structure of the Inventory 13 Surveys 13 Offices and staff 14 Schedule 15 Basic Principles 15 Information Requirements 16 Basic information 16 Location 16 Natural characteristics 17 Legal status and use 17 Discussion of preservation values 18 Supplemental materials 18 Part II. CONCEPTS AND TERMS 4. Natural Area Categories 21 Introduction 21 Summary of Categories 21 Category I: High quality terrestrial or wetland natural communities 21 Category II: Habitats with endangered species .... 21 Category III: Habitats with relict species 22 Category IV: Outstanding geologic features 22 Category V: Nature preserves or lands that are managed and used for natural science studies .... 22 Category VI : Unique natural features 22 Category VII: Outstanding aquatic features 22 5. Natural Area Boundaries, Land Condition Classes, and Features 23 Introduction and Summary 23 111 5. Natural Area Boundaries, Land Condition Classes, and Features, continued Land Condition Classes 24 Natural land 24 Buffer land 24 Applicability of the land condition classification 24 Boundaries 24 Features 25 Significant features 25 Exceptional features 25 Notable features 27 Artificial disturbance features 27 Natural disturbance features 27 6. Natural Community Classification 29 Summary 29 7. Natural Quality 31 Summary 31 Part III. METHODS 8. Compiling Available Information 35 Purpose 35 Procedure 35 Gathering background material 35 Contacting people and agencies 35 General publicity 35 Literature review 36 Results 36 9. Examining Maps and Aerial Photographs 37 Introduction 37 Map Resources 37 Topographic maps 37 Highway maps 38 Presettlement Vegetation Atlas of Illinois 38 Soil maps 38 Geologic maps 38 Aerial Photographs and High-altitude Images 38 ASCS aerial photographs 39 Other aerial photographs 40 Landsat images 40 Procedure and Results 41 10. Aerial Survey 43 Purpose 43 Procedure and Results 43 General techniques 43 Examples of techniques 44 Effectiveness 46 11. Initial Ground Survey 47 Purpose 47 Procedure 47 Results 47 12. Final Field Survey 48 Main Data Form 48 Maps and Aerial Photographs 48 Vegetation Sampling 48 Species Lists 49 13. Information Collected about the Natural Areas 50 Main Data Form 50 Natural Area Files and Maps 56 Part IV. SURVEYS 14. Category I Survey: Main Survey 59 Summary 59 15. Category I Survey: Railroad Prairies 60 Summary 60 Introduction 60 Procedure 61 Preparation for the field survey 61 Aerial survey 62 Initial ground survey 63 Final field survey 65 Results 65 Natural areas 66 Disturbances 66 16. Category I Survey: Cemetery Prairies and Savannas 67 Summary 67 Introduction 67 Procedure 68 Office preparation 68 Pilot survey 68 Volunteer survey 68 Staff survey 69 Results 70 Natural areas 70 Notable areas 70 17. Category II Survey: Habitats with Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species 71 Definitions and Procedures 71 Introduction 71 People and organizations involved with endangered species 71 Determining the status of species 72 Significant features and exceptional features .... 73 17. Category II Survey: Habitats with Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species, continued Inventory procedures for animals 75 Inventory procedures for plants 76 Results 76 Number of significant features and exceptional features 77 Habitats and distribution 77 Newly discovered species 78 18. Category III Survey: Habitats with Relict Species 79 Definition 79 Procedure 79 Results 80 19. Category IV Survey: Geologic Areas 81 Definition and Procedure 81 Results 82 20. Category V Survey: Natural Study Areas 83 Definition 83 Procedure and Results 84 21. Category VI Survey: Unique Natural Areas 86 Definition and Procedure 86 Results 87 22. Category VII Survey: Aquatic Areas 88 Definition and Procedure 88 Results 88 23. Literature Survey 89 Purpose 89 Procedure 89 Natural Area Bibliography 90 Summary 90 References to geology 91 References to biology and ecology 91 Sources of publications 92 Dates of publications 93 Part V. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS 24. Effectiveness of the Methods 99 Introduction 99 Finding Significant Features 99 Comparison of methods 99 Adequacy of available information 101 Screening Potential Natural Areas 102 Source: Available information 103 Source: Maps and aerial photos 103 Source: Aerial survey 104 Source: Ground survey 104 24. Effectiveness of the Methods,