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Excerpts from the Journal:
The Illinois Prairie:
Feats of Clay.
Submitted by Chris Rollins
Our special article on Illinois
Prairie History this month was written by Christopher Rollins.
Chris is in his
third year as Regional
Land Manager, IDNR Region 2 and frequents Goose Lake Prairie SNA very
often. Chris holds a double major in Animal Science; and Political Science
and a Bachelor of Arts -Board of Governors’ Degree from Western Illinois
University.
Sunmer 2009 Issue of the Tallgrass Journal.
I would like to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who
offered words of thanks for the article I wrote for the last issue of the
Tallgrass Journal.
I really enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to
share some thoughts about the prairie.
In the Prairie Partners I have discovered people
with whom I have much in common: a love for the prairie, its history and its
stories, and a thirst for knowledge and understanding of this unique
environment.
When I was asked by the indefatigable Ms. Susie Johnson to
pen another article I leapt at the chance.
As luck would have it, she had in mind that someone
should write about the connection between prairies and wetlands.
Since this is a topic which I have a more than
passing personal interest in, I quickly agreed that I would address it and got
down to the business of doing some research to flesh out what little I already
knew. I found many fascinating facts relating specifically to the area in and
around Goose Lake Prairie and the wetlands / prairie connect there.
Permit me to take you on a journey through time to tell the story of the link
between wetland and prairie.
It begins
about 300,000 to 132,000 years ago.
It is the time of the Illinoian Stage.
During
the Illinoian Stage, the Laurentide ice sheet covered about 85 percent of
Illinois. At its maximum, this huge glacier reached its southernmost extent in
North America near Carbondale, Illinois.
This ice sheet did what glaciers do – it moved and
scoured the earth as it went.
The action of the glacier changed the course of
rivers and the topography of the landscape as it crept.
And so it was with the fledgling beginnings of the
Mississippi River.
The Illinoian Stage blocked the Mississippi near Rock Island, diverting it into
its present channel. After the glacier melted, the Illinois River flowed into
the ancient channel. The Hennepin Canal roughly follows the ancient channel of
the Mississippi upstream to Rock Island.
The modern channel of the Illinois River was shaped in a matter of days
by the Kankakee Torrent. During the melting of the Wisconsin Glacier, about
10,000 years ago, a lake formed in present-day Indiana, comparable to one of the
modern Great Lakes. The lake formed behind the end moraine (an accumulation of
boulders, stones, or other debris) of that glacier. Melting ice to the north
eventually raised the level of the lake so that it overtopped the moraine. The
dam burst, and the entire volume of the lake was released in a very short time,
perhaps a few days. Because of the manner of its formation, the Illinois River
runs through a deep canyon with many rock formations. It has what is called an
"underutilized channel," one far larger than needed to contain any conceivable
flow in modern times.
The presence of Goose Lake Prairie in the Illinois River valley and its
proximity to the river has historic, hydrographic, and geologic significance.
Historically, we know that the Illinois River was important among Native
Americans and early French traders as the principal water route connecting the
Great Lakes with the Mississippi. The colonial settlements along the river
formed the heart of the area known as the Illinois Country. After the
construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Hennepin Canal in the
19th century, the river's role as link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi
was extended into the era of modern industrial shipping.
Hydrographically, we know that The Illinois River is a principal tributary of
the Mississippi River, approximately 273 miles long. The river drains a large
section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of 28,070 square miles.
The Illinois River is formed by the confluence of the Kankakee and Des
Plaines rivers in eastern Grundy County, approximately 10 miles southwest of
Joliet – right in the backyard of Goose Lake Prairie. It flows west across
northern Illinois, passing Morris and Ottawa, where it is joined by the Mazon
River and Fox River. At LaSalle, it is joined by the Vermilion River, then flows
west past Peru, and Spring Valley. In southeastern Bureau County it turns south
at an area known as the "Great Bend," flowing southwest across western Illinois.
Geologically, we know that sediment-laden floodwaters of the Kankakee Torrent
and subsequent floods filled valleys with outwash incredibly quickly.
In the glacial drift are found deposits of sand, gravel, and clay.
As luck would have it, that
"underutilized channel" mentioned earlier means that these ancient deposits are
not swept away. Land elevation
drops just 21 feet in the more than 200 miles from the head of the Illinois
River to where the Illinois empties into the Mississippi. The river has so
little energy that it cannot even carry away all the sediments dumped into it by
its tributaries, much less sweep the valley of sediments deposited during its
drastic glacial past.
Prairie experts tell us that there are different kinds of prairie
depending on the “moisture gradient” (differences in moisture between surface
and subsurface readings) and soil type. And so at Goose Lake Prairie we are left
with an area where black soil prairie is dominant.
This is not the only possible type of prairie. There are also gravel
prairies, dolomite prairies, sand prairies, and hill prairies. Prairies can be
poorly drained and moist, or they can have average drainage conditions, or they
can be well-drained and dry.
Black soil prairie typically has a dark top soil up to 2' deep, which is
rich in organic matter. Beneath this, there is clay subsoil that retains
moisture and is rich in minerals. The lowest layer of subsoil is the
mineral-rich glacial till that was left behind by the last glacier. It is
typically a mixture of finely pulverized rocks, clay or sand, and loess (fine
wind-borne debris). In Illinois, this layer of glacial till may easily exceed
200' before bedrock is reached. Because the soil retains significant moisture,
even during the worst summer droughts, the roots of some prairie plants may
extend 10-30' beneath the surface of the soil until the water table has been
reached. Black soil prairies are usually moist during the spring when the
rainfall amounts are higher and temperatures are cooler.
The landscape of such prairies is rather flat and poorly drained because
there has not been sufficient time (from the last glaciations) to develop an
extensive drainage system, unlike hilly southern Illinois.
Flat
and poorly drained soil with clay subsoil + sources of water like flood and rain
= wetlands.
The boundaries of prairie wetlands may change as they tend to dry out near the
soil surface during late summer because of hot temperatures and occasional
summer droughts. The presence of
wetlands makes for high biodiversity within the prairie landscape, and creates
interesting and colorful places to visit during the growing season.
From the historical perspective we know that the prairie / wetlands interface
was common throughout our state. Consider that at least 60 percent of Illinois’
land area was once grassland of one type or another and prior to European
settlement, wetlands covered millions of acres of Illinois, or about 23 percent
of the land.
So remember on your next visit to Goose Lake Prairie that a river ran through
it, but a glacier came first, and together left us “feats of clay”.
Clay played a major role in the history of Goose Lake Prairie – but
that’s a topic for a future story!
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the prairie!
The Illinois Prairie:
Lessons of history.
Submitted by
Chris Rollins
Our special article on Illinois
Prairie History this month was written by Christopher Rollins.
Chris is in his
third year as Regional
Land Manager, IDNR Region 2 and frequents Goose Lake Prairie SNA very
often. Chris holds a double major in Animal Science; and Political Science
and a Bachelor of Arts -Board of Governors’ Degree from Western Illinois
University.
Spring 2009 Issue of the Tallgrass
Journal.
At first glance the fast pace of our modern daily lives circa 2009 appears to
have little in common with the lives of our forefathers here on the prairie
nearly 160 years ago. On closer
examination there are circumstances that ring familiar and can be more fully
understood because of our recent history.
During the 12 months ended July 1, 2005, one of the top-10 fastest-growing
counties in the United States
was Kendall, Illinois,
which came in third at 9.4 percent growth. During the same period Grundy, Illinois,
just missed the cut, ranking 11th.
If you picked up a news paper during the last five years, it was hard to miss
the reports of “unprecedented” growth in what have typically been largely rural
areas of the state. While some of
this growth has been attributed to an “overflow effect” of Chicago’s urban expansion, much of it can be
attributed to people choosing a different way of life outside the urban center,
simply seeking “a home they can call their own”.
Let’s step into the time machine and visit the same area circa 1850. By the time
the 1860 census was tallied, Illinois had grown
to be the fourth most populated state in America. The rapid growth of Chicago was a major reason
for the increase, but other areas of the state were growing independently. In
1849 more than 40% of the land in Illinois was owned by the federal government.
This land was isolated and undeveloped located in areas without access to major
transportation. By 1855, almost every acre of federal land had been purchased
from the government for use as farmland.
Farming was the fastest growing business in Illinois and Chicago was
becoming a center for shipping farm products and livestock to the entire United States.
By 1870, the total agricultural production of
Illinois
was second only to New York.
Illinois held
number one rank in corn, wheat, and swine production.
Illinois
was second only to Texas in beef cattle
production and third to New York and Pennsylvania in the
production of dairy cattle. Many forces combined to produce Illinois’ agricultural growth. The invention
of new farm implements helped to turn vast amounts of prairie into farmland. The
railroads made transportation faster and cheaper allowing Illinois farmers to ship their products to
markets across the country. All of these things occurred at a time when the
nation’s population was growing rapidly and needed what Illinois had to offer.
Men and women perusing the newspapers in 1850 would have read of land
available “on long credit” and “favorable terms” where they might make for
themselves and their families “a home they can call their own”.
Sound familiar? (See handbill picture)
Today, statistics tell us that more than 70 percent of all family farms
and businesses do not survive through the second generation, and 87 percent
don't make it to a third generation.
Our great-grandparents, encouraged by easy credit, answered the siren’s
song of the open plains as a land of fertile abundance where they might make a
life for themselves and their families. They moved into the plains of
Illinois
in record numbers in the 1850’s and 60’s not knowing what waited three
generations hence. As we look back
through the lense of history, do we think of them as reckless?
Do we hate Cyrus Hall McCormack for inventing the reaper?
Do we loath an entrepreneurial blacksmith from Grand Detour, Illinois named John Deere for inventing the
plow that broke the prairie?
It seems that 160 years of history allow us sufficient perspective to
appreciate the pioneering spirit of our ancestors and the beneficial gains of
the agricultural revolution. In the
future will we look back and find any benefit to the land boom of the early
2000’s?
I would like to predict at least one:
This will be remembered as a time of awakening and enlightenment of citizens to
the importance of preserving open spaces – especially our vanishing prairies!
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A Turtle With
A Yellow Chin
Submitted By Dan Kirk
-IDNR and Natural Heritage Biologist covering 7 counties in the
area (Kane,
Kendall, DuPage, Cook, Will, Grundy, and Kankakee).
Oct, 2007 Issue
You may have seen numerous nets in several marshes at
Goose Lake
prairie and asked yourself, what are those? Well,
they are turtle traps. I have been trapping turtles, specifically
Blanding’s turtles for two years now. Goose Lake prairie is one of
the few places left in the state where there appears to be a thriving
population, although their status is unknown. I have captured 57
Blanding’s turtles in 9 weeks of trapping over 2 years. In addition,
around 70 painted turtles and a handful of common snapping turtles have also
visited my nets. The next several years should paint a better picture of
the status of Blanding’s turtles at Gooselake prairie.
Blanding’s turtles are a medium sized
turtle, to about 10 inches long that inhabits shallow marshes with emergent
vegetation, wet prairies, sloughs and bogs. A dark shell
speckled with numerous yellow spots and a bright yellow chin is the
distinguishing characteristic. Blanding’s turtles were once
common throughout its range, which extends from Nebraska eastward to southern
Ontario, with disjunct populations in New York, New England, and Nova Scotia,
while the Great Lakes region is the stronghold of the species.
It is listed and endangered or threatened in 10 states and 2 Canadian
provinces. The major problem facing Blanding’s turtle today,
particularly in Illinois, is habitat fragmentation and destruction.
Most of the wetlands
and prairies, which Blanding’s turtles utilize, are gone from the Illinois
landscape. Able to travel long distances overnight, these
turtles need large contiguous blocks of grassland and a variety of wetlands
in order to reproduce successfully. Goose Lake prairie is one
of the few remaining sites in Illinois that is large enough and with
appropriate habitat to support a viable population of Blanding’s turtles.
Although they occur in many marshes throughout the Chicagoland area,
populations consist mainly of old breeding adults. Once these
long-lived species (up to 70 years) die the population crashes.
Females are breeding but eggs rarely hatch, due to predators, and
juvenile mortality is high. Without large areas of appropriate
habitat required for successful reproduction Blanding’s turtles will
continue to live on the edge.
Posted
October 24, 2007
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