This article makes the case for expanded state and local protection of vulnerable streams and wetlands. Vulnerable streams and wetlands include the very smallest streams and wetlands that do not have a permanent surface water connection to larger waterbodies, yet are still vital parts of the ecosystem. Headwater streams and… Continue reading
This document focuses on acting locally in order to most effectively address issues that can lead to national or global threats. Solutions are offered on how to get involved in the community, zoning laws, and local regulations and policies. Local Water Policy Innovation
Forests in our agricultural or urbanized landscapes areespecially vulnerable to degradation. Since 1997, the CTAP biological monitoring program has systematically studied Illinois’ forests. This brochure summarizes the best scienceand data available regarding four major aspects of forest conservation and management. Forest Conservation and Management
The goal of this Resource manual is to provide ample information about conservation design principles and practices, and to provide the necessary language to enable communities to implement conservation design at varying levels. The document is structured by practice, so that communities new to conservation design can begin with cautious… Continue reading
This manual presents an approach to watershed-based planning designed to ensure that local stakeholders play a central role in the development of comprehensive, multi-issue watershed plans. A watershed approach to planning for and managing land and water resources is not a new idea. The USEPA argues that groups working within… Continue reading
A complete annual inventory consists of measurements and data compiled and reported for all plots in all five panels. Once all panels have been measured and the inventory is complete, a new inventory will begin and one panel of plots will be remeasured every year on a 5-year cycle. This… Continue reading
The five ecological principles deal with time, species, place, disturbance ,and the landscape. These principles dictate several guidelines for land use. These guidelines suggest that land managers should examine impacts of local decisions in a regional context, plan for long-term change and unexpected events, preserve rare landscape elements and associated… Continue reading
This Comprehensive Plan provides the vision, goals, objectives, desired future, and identifies the preferred alternative plan to restore the ecological integrity of the Illinois River Basin System. This plan documents the need for and potential scope of four components: a restoration program; a long-term resource monitoring program; a computerized inventory… Continue reading
This assessment is a compilation of research articles looking at forestry, invasive species, and water quality and the effect they have on biodiversity and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of an area. They make suggestions about the direction the various locations are headed in terms of diversity and native species preservation…. Continue reading
The Mackinaw River Watershed Council is planning and trying to understand where funding will come from and the role of different organizations in the project. It also focuses on important questions about their goals and objectives, funding, volunteer efforts, and the council itself. Management Plan: Who Does What
