Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge
Encyclopedia
The Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Illinois River
in Mason County northeast of Havana, Illinois
. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as one of the four Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuges.
The refuge consists of 4,388 acres (17.8 km²) of Illinois River bottomland, nearly all of it wetland
. The parcel is the former Chautauqua Drainage and Levee District, a failed riverine polder
. In the 1920s, workers with steam shovels surrounded the levee district with a large dike
in an attempt to create a large new parcel of agricultural farmland. The levee district proved to be financially unable to maintain the dike, however, and the Illinois River reclaimed the polder. The complex alluvial topography that had existed before this intervention was replaced by the broad shallow pool of Chautauqua Lake.
In 1936, the federal government acquired the 4,388 acre (17.8 km²) Chautauqua Drainage and Levee District parcel, including the dikes that enclosed the pool, and began to manage it for wildlife-refuge and flood control
purposes. The flood-control aspects of this management have grown more challenging in the years since, as continued agricultural runoff and siltation
of the Illinois River has made much of Chautauqua Lake shallower. On some shoreline strips of the lake, the silt has built up to the level of the lake surface, and an alluvial topography of sloughs and floodplain woodlands may be slowly re-establishing itself. However, many of the plant and animal species
inhabiting the current Chautauqua Lake and Wildlife Refuge and adjacent Illinois River are nonnative
and invasive species
such as the Asian carp
.
As of 2005, of the 4,388 acres (17.8 km²) of the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, 3,200 acres (12.9 km²) were classified as an open pool, 800 acres (3.2 km²) were classified as "water and timbered bottomland", and the remaining 388 acres (1.6 km²) were classified as upland forest. The closest numbered highway is U.S. Highway 136 in Mason County.
A nesting pair of bald eagles was observed in the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge in the winter of 2005-06.
The Cameron/Billsbach Unit is a detached section of the refuge located further north, in Marshall County
, near Henry, Illinois
. It covers an additional 1,079 acres (4.37 km²).
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
in Mason County northeast of Havana, Illinois
Havana, Illinois
Havana is a city in Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,577 at the 2000 census, and 3,260 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Mason County.-Geography:...
. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as one of the four Illinois River National Wildlife and Fish Refuges.
The refuge consists of 4,388 acres (17.8 km²) of Illinois River bottomland, nearly all of it wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
. The parcel is the former Chautauqua Drainage and Levee District, a failed riverine polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
. In the 1920s, workers with steam shovels surrounded the levee district with a large dike
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
in an attempt to create a large new parcel of agricultural farmland. The levee district proved to be financially unable to maintain the dike, however, and the Illinois River reclaimed the polder. The complex alluvial topography that had existed before this intervention was replaced by the broad shallow pool of Chautauqua Lake.
In 1936, the federal government acquired the 4,388 acre (17.8 km²) Chautauqua Drainage and Levee District parcel, including the dikes that enclosed the pool, and began to manage it for wildlife-refuge and flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
purposes. The flood-control aspects of this management have grown more challenging in the years since, as continued agricultural runoff and siltation
Siltation
Siltation is the pollution of water by fine particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments, and to the increased accumulation of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable...
of the Illinois River has made much of Chautauqua Lake shallower. On some shoreline strips of the lake, the silt has built up to the level of the lake surface, and an alluvial topography of sloughs and floodplain woodlands may be slowly re-establishing itself. However, many of the plant and animal species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
inhabiting the current Chautauqua Lake and Wildlife Refuge and adjacent Illinois River are nonnative
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
such as the Asian carp
Asian carp
Many species of heavy-bodied cyprinid fish are collectively known in the United States as Asian carp. Cyprinids from the subcontinent [for example, catla and mrigal ] are not included in this classification, and are known collectively as "Indian carp".Eight Asian carp have been substantially...
.
As of 2005, of the 4,388 acres (17.8 km²) of the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, 3,200 acres (12.9 km²) were classified as an open pool, 800 acres (3.2 km²) were classified as "water and timbered bottomland", and the remaining 388 acres (1.6 km²) were classified as upland forest. The closest numbered highway is U.S. Highway 136 in Mason County.
A nesting pair of bald eagles was observed in the Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge in the winter of 2005-06.
The Cameron/Billsbach Unit is a detached section of the refuge located further north, in Marshall County
Marshall County, Illinois
The median income for a household in the county was $41,576, and the median income for a family was $48,061. Males had a median income of $35,765 versus $21,452 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,065...
, near Henry, Illinois
Henry, Illinois
Henry is a city in Marshall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,540 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Henry is located at ....
. It covers an additional 1,079 acres (4.37 km²).
External links
- Official site
- The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Project - The Emiquon ProjectEmiquon ProjectThe Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge is a wetland wildlife refuge located in Fulton County, Illinois across the Illinois River from the town of Havana. It is in the Central forest-grasslands transition ecoregion....
, a 7000 acres (28.3 km²) wetland restoration project, is located across the Illinois River from Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge