SPRINGFIELD - "Emiquon 2008: Restoration Begins" is the subject of a science meeting scheduled for April 3 at Dickson Mounds Museum. The research-oriented, by invitation event is a joint presentation of The Nature Conservancy, Dickson Mounds, and the Emiquon Field Station project at the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Emiquon is the site of the Nature Conservancy's effort to restore more than 7,000 acres of land along the Illinois River near Havana from agricultural use to its natural state as a river floodplain. The undertaking is one of the most ambitious efforts of its kind and may ultimately help guide large floodplain river restoration efforts around the world.
The meeting will include an overview of the project and brief presentations by a number of scientists who are currently measuring the progress of the transformation.
UIS established the Emiquon Field Station to study, research, and document the process. Michael Lemke, UIS associate professor of Biology, is director of the new facility. Keith Miller, professor of Computer Science, serves as associate director.
Grand opening ceremonies for the field station's newly completed facilities -- housing offices, a smart classroom, conference room, library/study, wet and dry laboratories, and sample and chemical storage spaces -- are scheduled for April 25. An open house, which will offer public tours, is set for April 26.
