E-Newsletter ■ October 2008

Nutrient farming could make history

	Yosemite National Park is an example of conservation innovation.

What do the Boston Commons, Yosemite National Park, and the Wetlands Initiative’s nutrient farming strategy have in common? Each represents the kind of innovative thinking that has driven the American conservation movement, said author James Levitt, speaking to more than 100 friends and supporters of the Wetlands Initiative at its annual gathering this month in Chicago.

Not unlike the historic Boston Commons effort to creatively finance open space for the common good, nutrient farming can serve the self interest of the landowner and the common interest of the community. Levitt, director of the Program on Conservation Innovation at Harvard Forest, said that nutrient farming is the kind of big idea that could become a landmark in conservation innovation if it proves to be a strategy that is effective, transferable, and enduring for generations to come.

Stop free flowing sediment reaching Goose Pond

Excess sediment flows into Big Bureau Creek upstream of Goose Pond.

Every year approximately 250,000 tons of sediment flows into Goose Pond—the future site of the Wetlands Initiative’s Nutrient Farming Pilot Project near Hennepin, Illinois. This sediment “pollution,” as it is described, is now so heavy that it is projected to fill the pond and neighboring Senachwine Lake by the year 2020, eliminating a critical resting area for waterfowl that has been a part of the storied Mississippi flyway for decades.

To address this problem, the Wetlands Initiative is partnering with scientists at the USDA Agriculture Research Service to map out a plan to reduce sedimentation in Big Bureau Creek, which flows into Goose Pond. With support from the Pick Family Trust, the Wetlands Initiative will begin this winter to identify ideal locations within the Big Bureau Creek sub-watershed where landowners could voluntarily increase wetland restoration or other conservation practices on their land. Restored wetlands slow down the speed of flow in rivers and streams, reducing the amount of streambank erosion and sedimentation.

Rare duck grabs attention at Hennepin

	The black-bellied whistling duck, common in South Florida (as pictured here), was observed this summer in Hennepin.

When Rick Seibert saw a duck with an orange beak and orange feet flying over the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes in August, he knew he was looking at a rare find. With the help of his Sibley Field Guide, Seibert—site manager at the refuge, TWI’s premier restoration site—quickly figured out he was looking at the rare black-bellied whistling duck. Ornithologist Doug Stotz of the Field Museum later posted the sighting on the Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts web group. After reading the posting, Dale Bowman, outdoor writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, was moved to visit the site and wrote that sightings like these are "one of the most compelling reasons to save and savor secret places – for the surprises the wild world springs on us.” The Dixon Refuge, he concluded, is "one of the sacred Illinois wild places.”

Photo by Dan Bodenstein  

Midewin restoration grows with new partners

A golden orb weaver spider captures the attention of Alliance Pipeline, TWI, and Midewin staff on a recent tour.

Alliance Pipeline, Dow Chemical Company Foundation, and Enbridge, Inc. have joined the Wetlands Initiative in its efforts to restore native Illinois prairie and wetlands at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, near Joliet, Illinois. Since 1997, the Wetlands Initiative has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to restore Midewin, site of the former U.S. Army Arsenal, where millions of pounds of TNT were produced to fuel America’s war effort in the 1940s. Today the 18,000-acre site is becoming the state’s largest restored natural area.

With the addition of the three local corporate partners, the Wetlands Initiative will complete restoration work valued at more than $300,000 over two years at Midewin. Other funders at the site include the Grand Victoria Foundation, Chicago Wilderness, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Doing good for wetlands

Now there are two easy ways to help restore wetlands simply by using the web. GoodSearch.com, a new search engine with the same search capabilities as Google, will donate to the Wetlands Initiative each time you use it for an internet search. It’s easy to use: Go to GoodSearch.com and enter “Wetlands Initiative” in the box asking “Who do you GoodSearch for?” Click "Verify" and continue with your search request, as you normally would. If you make this site your home page, it is easy to use it for every search.

Similarly, GoodShop.com will donate to the Wetlands Initiative when you use their site to reach hundreds of stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy’s, L.L. Bean, and Barnes & Noble. Go to GoodShop.com and type “Wetlands Initiative” in the “Who do you GoodShop for” box. Click “Verify” and then start shopping. You'll get the exact same prices and service as if you had gone directly to the store's website.

Life on the Illinois River depicted

Photojournalist David Zalaznik, the Wetlands Initiative’s 2007 event speaker, has compiled 90 of his favorite photographs of the Illinois River in an elegant volume now available from the University of Illinois Press. Titled Life on the Illinois River, the book captures the spirit of people at work and at play on the river, as well as the quiet beauty of the flora and fauna that make the river a natural retreat. The Wetlands Initiative has limited editions (signed by the author) available for $35. Order by calling (312) 922-0777, extension 111, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Wetlands Initiative.