What: Grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the UIS Emiquon Field Station located at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve, the historic Illinois River floodplain near Havana.
When: Friday, April 25, at 4 p.m.
Where: Emiquon Preserve. (From Springfield, take Illinois 97 north to Havana. After crossing the Illinois River at Havana, merge right onto Illinois 97/Illinois 78. Turn left at sign for Emiquon Field Station.)
Details: The Emiquon Field Station is a unique facility that will allow students and faculty from a variety of fields to work side-by-side with conservation scientists to document change, study restoration, and teach others about nature in this historically significant location. The station's director is UIS Professor of Biology Michael Lemke.
In the spring of 2007, The Nature Conservancy in Illinois began on-the-ground restoration at the 7,100-acre Emiquon Preserve, which is the largest wetland restoration project in the Midwest. Now, the site is home to hundreds of native plant and animal species, and water has returned to formerly drained floodplain lake basins.
