The Emiquon Project: Restoration of a Flood Pulse River Ecosystem
The Illinois River is part of one of the great large-floodplain river ecosystems in the world. The naturally dynamic relationship between a large river and its floodplain is paramount in maintaining the natural ecological productivity and diversity of these systems.
A century ago, much of the Illinois River’s floodplain was isolated from the river by levees, drained by ditching and pumping, and converted to agricultural lands. These changes in land use eliminated or significantly altered the important ecological processes of seasonal flooding (i.e., the flood pulse) that formerly sustained the phenomenal biological productivity and diversity of the Illinois River ecosystem.
Restoration of floodplains along the Illinois River, and other streams, is an essential part of restoring the natural ecological processes and the biological diversity of the Illinois River ecosystem.
In 2007, 7,425 acres of land immediately adjacent to the Illinois River and owned by The Nature Conservancy will begin a transformation from farmland to its natural state - a large river floodplain. This undertaking represents one of the first river reclamation efforts on this grand scale.
In order to study, research, and document this unique, immense experiment, UIS is establishing the Emiquon Field Station (EFS). The EFS is a scientific facility being constructed near the towns of Lewiston and Havana, IL, about 45 miles northwest from Springfield on the Illinois River. Map to Emiquon (JPEG).
Elements that make EFS a unique facility include:
