Protecting Wisconsin’s Waters, American Rivers

This document delves into the current and looming storm water problems Wisconsin faces. This report outlines these problems and some of the solutions for the public; now we just need to  put these solutions to work. Action must be taken to preserve and protect those two assets that are so… Continue reading

Mackinaw River Ecosystem Partnership Bylaws, 2003

The purpose of MREP is to better understand and work for the improvement and ecological sustainability of the Mackinaw River watershed. The Partnership serves to facilitate communication and cooperation among those dedicated to preserving and improving the quality and ecosystem integrity of the Mackinaw River watershed. This is a summary… Continue reading

WATER: Just How Clean Is It?

The Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, is responsible for cleaning up the acts of our country’s largest point-source polluters. This has lead to a significant improvement in the water quality of our major lakes and rivers. However, as long as there are humans on this planet, both point-source pollution… Continue reading

Action Plans Approved

The Mackinaw River Planning Team has organized an action plans to help maintain the Mackinaw River. They focus on biological diversity, education, community issues such as erosion and water runoff, agency coordination, and agricultural practices. Action Plans Approved

McLean County Regional Greenway Plan

This plan presents an up-to-date vision for greenways and provides a framework for establishing a regional system of interconnected greenways throughout McLean County and beyond. The plan presents goals and objectives in support of this vision and identifies priority future greenways and potential greenway linkages to other regions. The plan… Continue reading

Protecting Nature in the Chicago Wilderness Region

The Chicago Wilderness consortium believes that natural areas make communities more attractive,  provide recreational areas, improve air and water quality,  and reduce the hazards of flooding. This document is a guide to local governments and developers on how to protect and enhance nature when planning and designing new development and… Continue reading

Bateman Estate Purchase, Mackinaw River Project

In 1996, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased 663 acres of the William Bateman Estate. The acres purchased included 1 ¾ mile of Macinaw River frontage, river bottomland prone to flooding, timber and rolling farmland. The River Project wanted TNC’s use of the land to positively impact water quality, preserve the… Continue reading

Critical Trends Assessment Report, 2002

This is a compilation of research papers created to inform policymakers about the state of Illinois’ ecosystems. The papers score the water quality based on both the habitat and biological properties, and the streams were ranked based on the score. They also look at bird and wildlife censusing to look… Continue reading

Little Mackinaw River Subwatershed Plan

The Little Mackinaw River subwatershed has a lot of agriculture and farming in the area. Farm operators are generally knowledgeable about some of the causes of river problems. Most farm operators agreed that conservation measures could be beneficial. However, farm operators generally support structural measures such as channelization and streambank… Continue reading

Walnut Creek Management Plan

The document gives detailed information on the subwatershed of Walnut Creek and the sources of it’s point and nonpoint source pollutions, the wildlife in the area, and its goals and objectives for solving the problems it is faced with. Monitoring the implementation of this subwatershed management plan is essential to… Continue reading