Governor Ryan Announces $5 Million in Grants for Local Conservation 2000 Projects

SPRINGFIELD ­­ Governor George H. Ryan today announced more than $5 million in grants to 30 local private­public partnerships for natural resource protection projects under the Illinois Conservation 2000 program.

"Local citizens and private property owners working together are the keys to the success of Conservation 2000," Ryan said. "These grants, combined with local matching funds and other support, provide important land management, habitat enhancement, and resource conservation projects in watersheds throughout Illinois."

The partnerships receiving grants are matching the state funding with $10.1 million in cash, in­kind and other contributions.

Conservation 2000 provides technical and financial assistance to landowners interested in improving and enhancing the ecology in environmentally sensitive watersheds throughout the state. The program provides funding for habitat protection and restoration, environmental education, planning and research projects proposed by the local watershed partnership organizations.

A list of grant recipients is attached.

American Bottom Partnership
Counties: Jersey, Macoupin, Montgomery, Madison, Monroe, St. Clair, Randolph Primary Contact: Ed Weilbacher, 618/566­4451

American Bottom Conservancy, $238,050. Canteen Lake. The Conservancy will use grant funds on projects to preserve the entire Horseshoe Lake oxbow of Horseshoe Lake, Canteen Lake and Indian Lake. Work on sighting a trail along the three oxbow lakes will be done at the 138­acre site adjacent to Horseshoe Lake State Park, approximately one mile north of Fairmont City in Madison County.

APH, Inc. $11,400. Kidd Lake Wetlands Restoration. The project will fund use of a wide­track bulldozer and track hoe to remove approximately 3,500 cubic yards of heavy clay that will be used for an earthen enclosure to restore the wetland. The wetland is located approximately two miles southeast of Fults in Monroe County.

Watershed Nature Center, $4,535. Restoration of Habitat at the Watershed Nature Center Preserve. Project funds will be used to purchase herbicide and hire a contractor to remove exotic plant species from approximately 10 acres of the preserve, located approximately one mile north of Edwardsville in Madison County.

Big Rivers Partnership
Counties: Greene, Jersey and Calhoun Primary Contact: Annie Hoagland, 618/466­4364

The Nature Institute, $34,000. Discovery Nature Education Program. The institute will use project funds to establish seasonal hands­on nature education programs for children throughout Calhoun, Greene and Jersey counties.

Great Rivers Land Preservation, $66,180. Piasa Creek Property Acquisition. The GRLP organization will purchase 61 acres immediately north of the bridge at Ill. Rt. 3 and Piasa Creek, approximately four miles east of Elsah in Madison County. Land acquisition in the area will eventually total 3,000 acres for protection along the Piasa Creek.

The Nature Institute, $47,705. The Nature Institute Prairie and Savanna Restoration Project. Native, local­genotype, prairie forb and grass seed will be purchased and contractors will be paid for ground preparation. This project will affect 33 acres approximately four miles northwest of Alton in Madison County.

Piasa Watershed Partnership, $33,011. Piasa Creek Education Expansion Program. The funds will be used to purchase additional water testing equipment to expand the research efforts started by the Alton School District into the neighboring Jersey Community School District and the Piasa Creek Watershed. All three districts are in the Piasa Creek watershed in Jersey and Madison counties.

Cache River Partnership
Counties: Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski, Pope and Massac Primary contact: Don Hankla, 618/833­5343

The Nature Conservancy, $100,000. Cache River Seedling Nursery. TNC will produce 600,000 seedlings to help offset the shortage of available tree seedlings in the Cache River region. This project is located in Massac County approximately four miles southeast of Belknap.

The Nature Conservancy, $18,420. Cache GIS Technician. Project funds will be used for a Geographic Information System technician to continue to develop GIS data for the Cache River Partnership, improving communication of watershed enhancement plans to the local land owners and the public in Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski, Pope and Massac counties.

Friends of the Cache River, $15,200. Bellrose Viewing Platform and Access. Funding will provide for the development of a public access that accommodates organized groups and individuals, as well as public parking at the viewing platform approximately three miles east of Ullin in Pulaski County.

Friends of the Cache River, $60,206. Channel Restoration Upper Cache River. A series of eight riffle weirs will be installed in segments of the Upper Cache River adjacent to Heron Pond, approximately four miles southwest of Vienna in Johnson County.

Friends of the Cache River, $300,500. Seedling Purchase for CRP HEL Planting. 500,000 tree seedlings will be purchased from a private source to plant 1,150 acres of Conservation Reserve Program lands that are enrolled for forest restoration. Landowners will plant the seedlings in a number of locations throughout Johnson and Pulaski counties.

Shawnee Resource Conservation and Development, $200,000. Cache Watershed Special Wetland Reserve Program Phase V. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service will acquire conservation easements on as many as 10,000 acres of wetlands throughout the Cache River basin in Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski, Pope and Massac counties.

Carlyle Lake Partnership
Counties: Montgomery, Bond, Marion, Clinton, Fayette, Effingham, Christian and Shelby Primary Contact: Jim Harris, 314/966­8404

Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District, $166,750. Wetland Restoration and Development. This project will develop a conservation easement on 1,000 acres of marginal cropland, woodland and riparian habitat in the floodplain of the Kaskaskia River in Fayette County. The district will use the funds for plan development, to restore hydrology and to purchase and plant trees on easement areas.

Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District, $15,500. Cleaner Water with Improved Crop Nutrient Placement. Funds will be used for a crop nutrient placing demonstration on 3,000 acres starting in the fall of 2001 for the 2002 crop. The location for the Fayette County demonstration has not yet been determined.

Ballard Nature Center Foundation, $5,200. Wetland Educational Trail. The foundation will use project funds for a 0.75­mile trail that will follow the contour of an eight­acre restored wetland, along with an observation blind. Ten interpretive signs will be placed along the trail. Seeds and native Illinois wetland plants will be purchased. This project will be located approximately 2.5 miles east of Altamont in Effingham County.

Effingham County Soil and Water Conservation District, $1,000. Prescribed Burning Workshop. A two­day prescribed burning workshop for landowners will be conducted by a certified burning instructor. The first day will provide classroom instruction on fire ecology, behavior, firebreak construction and maintenance, prescribed burn techniques, smoke management and personal safety. The second day will provide landowners with the opportunity to participate in a prescribed burn. This project will be located approximately 2.5 miles east of Altamont in Effingham County.

Carlyle Lake Association, $86,250. Kaskaskia River Bank Erosion Study. The association will use project funds to complete an inventory of current river bank conditions using aerial photography, ground surveys and other methods along the Kaskaskia River in Fayette County.

Chicago Wilderness Partnership
Counties: McHenry, DuPage, Cook, Will and Lake Primary Contact: Julie Smentek, 312/346­2540 ext. 30

Village of Lincolnshire, $50,000. North Branch Chicago River Project. The river restoration project on the North Branch of the Chicago River will focus on improved water quality, reestablishing wetlands, reducing slopes of the river, eradicating non­native vegetation and planting native vegetation in Lincolnshire in Lake County.

Village of Shorewood, $28,425. County West Park Mitigation. This project includes restoration of eroded sections of Hammel Creek, replacement of an old detention basin, improvement of the habitat greenway from the DuPage River, reduction of streambank erosion in the DuPage River and enhancement of the public's understanding of ecological management. This project is located in Shorewood in Will County.

Driftless Area Partnership
Counties: Jo Daviess and Carroll Primary Contact: Jim Rachuy, 815/777­9525

Jo Daviess Soil and Water Conservation District, $87,200. Apple River Watershed Enhancement. The project will focus on the 152,715­acre Apple River watershed in Jo Daviess County. Riparian buffers, contour sod buffers and grass waterways will be installed in the area near Galena.

Northwest Illinois Prairie Enthusiasts, $392,360. Hanover Bluffs Easements. The organization will use project funds to protect the natural resources, including prairie, savanna and woodland, of the Hanover Bluffs, creating a buffer for the nature preserve approximately two miles southwest of Hanover in Jo Daviess County.

City of East Debuque, $49,500. Storm Water and Land Use Planning for East Debuque Area. The funds will be used to develop a storm water and land use plan intended to minimize impacts of run­off on the natural resources of the East Dubuque area of Jo Daviess County. Provided will be GIS maps and recommendations for cost­effective land use improvements.

Embarras Partnership
Counties: Douglas, Edgar, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Jasper, Richland, Crawford and Lawrence Primary contact: Vince Gutowski, 217/581­3825

Casey­Westfield Schools, $29,630. Ecological Study of the Embarras River Watershed. Funds will allow 20­25 teachers to participate in an environmental program at Fox Ridge State Park for four days and three nights. Teachers will be trained to monitor streams and prairies, monitor ecosystems and habitats and submit the data to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, gaining a better understanding of the plant and animal diversity, ecosystems, and environmental issues in the state. Fox Ridge State Park is south of Charleston in Coles County.

EIU Board of Trustees, $5,300. Land Use Conservation Implementation Tracking Database in Muddy Creek Watershed. Funds will be used to produce a GIS database to assist in the development of a focused sub­watershed Resource Management Plan for Upper Muddy Creek. This project will be located in Cumberland and Coles counties between the villages of Lerna and Toledo.

Fox River Partnership
Counties: McHenry, Lake, Kane, Kendall, DuPage, LaSalle and Cook Primary contact: John Thompson, 847/741­8000

Illinois Institute of Technology, $26,323. What's the Value of a Dam? IIT will use project funds to survey stakeholders and document the perceived values of dams in St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia in Kane County.

Elgin YWCA, $100,000. Brewster Creek Dam Removal at Camp Tu­Endie­Wei. The removal of this dam south of South Elgin in Kane County will focus on sediment management during and after construction. A small boating basin will also be provided.

Kendall County Forest Preserve District (FPD), $6,800. Connecting the Public to a Watershed. The district will use project funds for eight roadside signs, while four informational kiosks will be built and placed in the four major watersheds of the Fox River in Kendall County.

Kendall County FPD, $129,000. PNA Riverfront Acquisition. The project involves acquiring more than 22 acres of Fox River bluffs and island property located adjacent to an Illinois Department of Natural Resources fisheries monitoring site. The acquisition will also initiate a greenway along the river near Yorkville in Kendall County.

DeKalb County Forest Preserve District, $9,810. Forest Preserve Invasive Plant Removal. Funds will be used to cover labor costs for selective spraying, controlled burning and hand pulling of invasive plants and trees. The project location is southeast of DeKalb in DeKalb County.

Friends of the Fox River, $55,250. Fox River Monitoring Network. The group will use project funds for network communications, teacher training workshops, a teacher manual, school equipment for stream monitoring and other program support costs. This project will be based in Crystal Lake and will affect citizens in McHenry, Lake, Kane, Kendall, DuPage, LaSalle and Cook counties.

Village of Richmond, $17,250. Nippersink Creek Water Reuse Project. The project will develop an ordinance and information brochure for reuse of waste water in commercial buildings and for landscape use in Richmond and Spring Grove in McHenry County.

Headwaters Partnership
Counties: Ford, Champaign and Douglas Primary contact: Leon Wendte, 217/398­5201 ext. 3

Champaign County Forest Preserve District (FPD), $198,636. Tomlinson Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve Buffer ­ Norton Tract Acquisition. The district will use project funds to purchase 103.36 acres of land that surrounds Tomlinson Cemetery Prairie on three sides. The property is located northeast of Gifford in Champaign County.

Champaign County FPD, $172,500. Riparian Corridor Acquisition ­ Wilson Tract. Project funds will be used to purchase approximately 30 acres of river bottomland and upland bluffs from a willing seller two miles south of Ogden in Champaign County. The district proposes to restore and maintain the acreage to a natural state similar to that of presettlement times.

Champaign County FPD, $14,700. Wetlands, Lakes, and Rivers Ecosystem In­service Training for K­12 Educators. This outreach project is an innovative four­day training session providing hands­on experience for educators. Instructors and field scientists will emphasize science, math and social science. This project will be administered from Mahomet for school teachers throughout Champaign County.

Ford County Soil and Water Conservation District, $1,972. Water Quality Education Program. EnviroScape models will be purchased, specifically the Nonpoint Source model, the Wetlands add­on kit, and the Landfill add­on kit. This project will be administered from Paxton and will benefit citizens in Ford County.

Heart of the Sangamon River Partnership
Counties: Macon and Piatt Primary contact: Jim Reed, 217/762­2128

Piatt County Soil and Water Conservation District, $52,230. Riparian Forest Buffer Restoration. The district will use project funds to purchase trees, nuts and equipment to reforest 500 acres of river bottom ground in Piatt County north of Monticello. Funding will also be used to purchase a seed collector and a tree planter to facilitate the planting.

Macon County Conservation District (MCCD), $7,500. Grassland Habitat Improvement Program. Funds will be used to purchase a no­till drill through a sealed bid process. Scheduling the use of the drill will be facilitated with MCCD. The district's Rock Springs Center holds environmental programs and the drill will be used to demonstrate how native grass habitat can be re­established. A video will be produced to record the operational procedures for Macon County users of the drill.

Illinois River Bluffs Partnership
Counties: LaSalle, Putnam, Lee, Bureau, Marshall, Woodford, Peoria and Tazewell Primary contact: Maury Brucker, 309/696­5490

Peoria County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), $6,450. Peoria County SWCD Prescribed Burn Equipment. The district will use project funding for three sets of burn equipment and safety gear, to be made available to anyone in Peoria County with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program or the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Peoria County SWCD will conduct a prescribed burn clinic on proper uses and techniques necessary to complete a successful burn. This project will be administered from Peoria and will benefit citizens throughout Peoria County.

Tri­County Regional Planning Commission, $80,000. Watershed Approach for Land Use Planning. Funds will be used to hire an environmental consulting firm to conduct an assessment of the hydrologic, hydraulic and biological conditions in the Farm Creek Watershed located between the communities of Morton, Washington and Metamora and the Illinois River in Tazewell and Woodford counties.

Peoria Park District, $47,000. Prairie School Restoration Project. The park district will use project funds to assist schools and educators in researching and interpreting historical Illinois ecology, to develop an interdisciplinary educational program on native habitats and local biodiversity, and to introduce students to the process of ecological restoration. This project will be administered from Peoria and will affect citizens in LaSalle, Putnam, Lee, Bureau, Marshall, Woodford, Peoria and Tazewell counties.

LaSalle County Soil and Water Conservation District, $7,199.25. Plant Materials for Little Vermillion. Project funds will be used to purchase and provide seeds and shrubs at no cost to landowners to plant on conservation buffer and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program lands. This project will be located in the sub­watershed immediately north of LaSalle­Peru in LaSalle County.

Fondulac Park District, $8,000. Fon Du Lac Seep Addition. The district will use project funds in the acquisition of the 1.8­acre Wyman tract, a parcel adjoining the Fon Du Lac seep in East Peoria in Tazewell County.

Kankakee River Basin Partnership
Counties: Will, Kankakee, Iroquois, Vermilion and Ford Primary contact: J.R. Black, 815/939­4971

Bourbonnais Township Park District, $4,595. Kankakee River Bank Erosion Repair and Prevention. Funding will be used to repair, restore, and prevent erosion along the Kankakee River in Bourbonnais in Kankakee County, where gully erosion has occurred. Native habitat will be maintained.

Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District, $3,663. Environmental Education Workshops. The district will use project funding to assist with purchasing educational materials for workshops, activities and presentations. The project will be based in Aroma Park in Kankakee County.

Kankakee Soil and Water Conservation District, $1,500. Water Quality Workshop. This project will provide educational materials to Kankakee County farmers and landowners on best management practices.

Kankakee Soil and Water Conservation District, $2,500. Tree Planter Acquisition. This project will provide the use of a tree planter to Kankakee County landowners to help establish riparian buffers and other wildlife habitat.

Kaskaskia River Partnership
Counties: Bond, Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, Washington, Marion and Jefferson. Primary contact: Ed Weilbacher, 618/566­4451

OKAW (Original Kaskaskia Area Wilderness), $247,250. Bid in Conservation Easements (3). Funds will be used to secure conservation easements on parcels through a bid in process which allows eligible landowners to submit a price for the estimated value they place on the rights they would be willing to sell under a conservation easement. The bids will be used to prioritize eligible landowners interest in the program. The actual value of any conservation easement will be determined by a fair market appraisal. This project will be located on several parcels at locations yet to be determined in Washington County.

Bond County Soil and Water Conservation District, $43,908. Hardwood Reforestation ­ Bond County. The district will use project funds to plant native hardwood tree species to limit forest fragmentation, accelerate the creation of forested wetlands and improve water quality by reducing erosion. The project will based in Greenville and will benefit citizens in Bond County.

Steve Hummert, $32,125. Resource Enhancement ­ Hummert 2000. A 30­acre slough area will be enhanced by constructing dams and installing structures which will help control water levels, removing silt from seven acres to provide for more open water and a more diverse wetland, and providing enhanced watershed protection and upland wildlife habitat by establishing a 3.3­acre native grass filter strip and planting 3.2 acres of trees. The project area is seven miles southeast of Mascoutah in St. Clair County.

Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District, $24,428. Hardwood Reforestation ­ Washington County. In addition to purchasing seedlings, the project grant will provide for a contract worker to assist the district administrator. The project will use native tree species to reduce forest fragmentation, accelerate the creation of forested wetlands and improve water quality by reducing erosion. This project will be based in Nashville and will benefit citizens in Washington County.

Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District, $13,200. Landowner Contacts. Funding will be used to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and reduce sedimentation in the Lower Kaskaskia River system by hiring a contact person to identify areas along the Kaskaskia, Crooked Creek, Little Crooked Creek and Elkhorn Creek that would be good sites for filter strips, riparian buffer strips, wetlands and other conservation practices in Washington County.

Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D), $16,500. Lower Kaskaskia River Floodplain Lake Fish Nurseries Study. The project will fund a research study to identify the floodplain oxbow lake characteristics that serve as suitable fish nurseries in the lower Kaskaskia River System; determine patterns in fish communities composition and density in floodplain lakes of the lower Kaskaskia River; and, determine the effects of variable hydrology on the fish in oxbow lakes. This project will be in a large area located along the Kaskaskia River near the St. Clair/Washington County line, north of St. Libory and Venedy.

Southern Illinois University­Carbondale ­ Department of Forestry, $89,553. Integrating Management and Outreach for Bottomland Forest Regeneration in the Lower Kaskaskia River Region. Funding will be used by SIU to assess changes in flood patterns since the construction of Carlyle Lake, utilizing historical discharge data from the U.S. Geological Survey gauge at New Athens and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gauges at Fayetteville and Red Bud. This project will be located in St. Clair County near New Athens and Fayetteville.

Southwestern Illinois RC&D, $40,000. Statewide Geographic Information System (GIS) Rural Water Mapping. Funds will be used collecting and analyzing data, as well as training personnel working with rural water agencies, on how to use the data affecting their water systems. The project, based in Mascoutah, will benefit citizens who are customers of rural water systems in Bond, Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, Washington, Marion and Jefferson counties.

Kinkaid Area Watershed Partnership
Counties: Ferry, Jackson, Washington Primary contact: David Fligor, 618/687­1722

Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), $4,900. Erosion Control in Kinkaid Watershed. Three landowners will construct dry dams, rock chutes and waterways to reduce hill erosion at Kinkaid Lake near Murphysboro in Jackson County.

Jackson County SWCD, $7,000. Kinkaid Watershed GIS Data Layers. A digital soil map will be made to provide the SWCD with information with which to make erosion forecasts and other resource conservation decisions. This project will be based in Murphysboro in Jackson County.

Jackson County SWCD ,$15,000. Using GIS for Resource Planning. A series of maps will be produced detailing field boundaries, land use, and topographical layers for use in making resource conservation decisions. The project will be based in Murphysboro in Jackson County.

Shawnee Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area, Inc. $15,000. Wildlife Habitat Project. Funds will be used to convert 500 acres of highly erodible land and riparian stream corridors to native warm season grasses. This project will be administered in Marion and will benefit citizens in Jackson County.

Shawnee RC&D Area, Inc. $80,000. Kinkaid Lake Shoreline Protection Phase I. A rip­ rap barrier will be installed at key locations to reduce Kinkaid Lake shoreline erosion near Murphysboro in Jackson County.

Kishwaukee River Partnership
Counties: McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, DeKalb and Ogle Primary contact: Ders Anderson, 312/427­4256 ext. 237

DeKalb County Forest Preserve District, $15,500. Wetland Restoration with Long­term Management and Monitoring Plan. The district will use project funds to restore the topography and diversity of two wetlands. Long­term management and monitoring plans will be developed for the site located three miles east of Kirkland in DeKalb County.

Boone County Conservation District, $11,000. Coon Creek / Mosquito Creek Outreach Project. Funding will be used to inventory natural communities, develop a management plan and database and discuss easement options for the Coon Creek/Mosquito Creek watershed in Boone County, approximately six miles southeast of Belvidere.

Belvidere Park District/Belvidere Park District Foundation, $107,000. Red Horse Acquisition II. Project funds will be used to acquire 13 acres of Kishwaukee riverfront property to preserve a diverse habitat and maintain a riparian buffer. The parcel connects to an existing 10­acre parcel, expanding the grasslands and woods to be protected, located approximately one mile east of Belvidere in Boone County.

Conservation Research Institute, $10,000. Walcamp Inventory and Natural Resources Management Plan. The institute will use project funds to provide an inventory of flora and habitat types on the 177­acre site approximately one mile west of Kirkland in DeKalb County. The inventory will guide habitat management strategies to maximize the long­term ecological health and diversity of the property.

Openlands Project, $12,190. South Branch of the Kishwaukee Land Use and Habitat Poster. A poster will be designed and produced showing approximately 100 species of flora and fauna representing the South Branch watershed, benefitting the citizens of McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, DeKalb and Ogle counties.

Richard Hoffman, $231,900. Clear Water Legacy. Funding will be used to provide a conservation easement for a 336.5­acre parcel for a period of 30 years to protect a riparian buffer. The Hoffman property is located approximately five miles northwest of Kirkland in DeKalb County.

Lake Calumet Partnership
Counties: Cook Primary contact: William Peterman, 773/995­2176

Chicago Department of the Environment, $150,000. Hydrological Improvements to the Calumet Area. The project will enhance the hydrology of wetlands in the Lake Calumet region on Chicago's south side by installing dams, weirs and other improvements.

Lower Des Plaines Partnership
Counties: Cook, DuPage, Will Primary contact: 773/267­0146

Forest Preserve District of Cook County, $11,000. Osprey Nesting Platforms. The district will use project funds to erect two osprey nest platforms near Orland Park to provide nesting habitat for the Illinois endangered osprey.

Lower Rock River Partnership
Counties: Lee, Whiteside, Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, Ogle and Carroll Primary contact: Don Swensson, 309/762­5417

Riverdale School District #100, $4,036. Restore. The school district will use project funds on a collaborative school­community effort to build a 100­seat outdoor amphitheater facility that will feature a presentation stage. Wooden benches will surround the stage on three sides and fir trees will provide back drops. The floor will be mulched and three large maples will provide cooling shade to the area. The amphitheater will be located in Port Byron in Rock Island County.

Whiteside County Soil and Water Conservation District, $12,944. Native Grass and Winter Cover Establishment. Funds will be used to purchase an eight­foot no­till drill for grass planting projects in Carroll, Lee, Rock Island, and Whiteside counties.

Lower Sangamon Valley Partnership
Counties: Mason, Logan, Cass, Menard, Morgan, Sangamon and Christian. Primary contact: Heather Hendrix, 217/528­1324

Heather Hendrix, $23,500. Ecodaze II. This outreach project will increase middle school students' awareness of the environmental sciences through a week­long environmental field experience administered from Athens in Menard County and benefitting residents of Mason, Logan, Cass, Menard, Sangamon and Christian counties.

Cass County Soil and Water Conservation District, $58,580. Schaad Watershed Resource Project. Funding will be used to install 15 water and sediment control basins along cropland edges and 20 ponds to trap sheet/rill sediment and nutrients before they travel to the drainage basin in the Schaad waterway watershed. This project will be located at several yet­to­be determined locations in Cass County.

Menard County Soil and Water Conservation District, $14,000. LSV No­Till Grass Drill. Project funds will be used to purchase a no­till drill to seed native prairie grasses along creeks, streams and rivers at various locations in Mason, Logan, Cass, Menard, Sangamon and Christian counties

Cass County Soil and Water Conservation District, $50,000. Cass County Acres for the Animals. The district will use project funding to establish additional acres of native grass to benefit plants and animals that are on the threatened and endangered lists in Cass County.

Mackinaw River Partnership
Counties: Woodford, Tazewell, McLean, Mason, Livingston and Ford Primary contact: Kevin Coulter, 309/467­4662

The Nature Conservancy, $37,404. Chinquapin Bluffs Restoration. The project will restore five natural communities (marsh, floodplain forest, oak/hickory woodland, seep and glacial drift hill prairie) at Chinquapin Bluffs, approximately seven miles southwest of El Paso in Woodford County.

Parklands Foundation, $15,040. Wyatt's Ford ­ Wetland/Savanna Restoration. This project will restore a 16­acre floodplain field to wetland habitat. Another 34 acres of field will be restored to savanna and wet prairie habitat. The project is located six miles east of Goodfield in Woodford County.

Mackinaw River Watershed Council, $12,200. Mackinaw River Watershed No Till Drill. Funds will be used to purchase a no­till drill to be made available to landowners throughout the watershed participating in best management practices planning in Woodford, Tazewell, McLean, Mason, Livingston and Ford counties.

McLean County Soil and Water Conservation District, $1,200. Hand Seeder for Prairie Restoration. Funds will be used to purchase four seeders to be used in restoring small areas to native grasses in McLean County and throughout the partnership.

Eureka Public Library, $9,750. Lake Eureka Online Natural History. This project will create a web site describing the natural history of Lake Eureka and its place in the Mackinaw River watershed near Eureka in Woodford County.

Prairie Parklands Partnership
Counties: Cook, Will and Grundy Primary contact: Joyce O'Keefe, 312/427­4256

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, $4,850. Wetland Restoration Equipment. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie will purchase a small native seed planter that can be pulled behind an ATV, a small electric native seed planter and four hand­propelled native seed planters for planting in wetlands and rocky areas at the Midewin site, located between Elwood and Wilmington in Will County.

Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance, $9,150. Volunteer Opportunities Brochure. The Prairie Parklands volunteer team will design a four­color, multi­agency brochure describing volunteer opportunities and how to get involved as a volunteer at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, located between Elwood and Wilmington in Will County.

Openlands Project, $12,500. Prairie Creek Habitat Conservation Agreement. Funds will be used to identify landowners, analyze potential preservation benefits and establish long term habitat maintenance agreements along Prairie Creek east of Manhattan in Will County.

Spoon River Partnership
Counties: Fulton, Warren, Know, Peoria, Stark, Marshall, Bureau, McDonough and Henry Primary contact: David King, 309/833­4747

Stark County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), $13,500. Conservation­You Know the Drill. The Stark County SWCD in Toulon will purchase a drill to be made available to landowners for establishing conservation practices.

Stark County Soil and Water Conservation District, $7,000. Indian Creek Watershed Education Project. The advisory committee of Indian Creek Watershed will use project funds to publish a newsletter reaching 2,500 households, install conservation practices and watershed boundary signs, conduct a tour of conservation sites and hold a conservation day at Black Hawk East College. The project will be administered from Toulon and will benefit residents of Stark and Henry counties.

Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District, $75,000.00. Detention Basin/Wildlife Habitat Program. This project will encourage landowners to install ponds as storm water retention and gully erosion control structures, along with providing wildlife with permanent water sources throughout Fulton County.

Sugar­Pecatonica Rivers Partnership
Counties: Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Carroll and Ogle Primary contact: Sue Merchant, 815/964­6666

Sand Bluff Bird Observatory, $24,900. Sand Bluff Bird Observatory ­ Research Field Station. The project will create a research field station in the Sugar River valley that is available to colleges, universities and environmental organizations to assess bird populations. The station will be located six miles northeast of Durand in Winnebago County.

Natural Land Institute, $99,000. Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Restoration. Funds will be used to help purchase a 690­acre parcel and for planting a range of native vegetation from wet mesic to dry prairie seed and plugs, located approximately two miles west of Rockton in Winnebago County.

Natural Land Institute, $17,325. Raccoon Creek Watershed Assessment.Funds will be used to help develop an integrated plan to protect and improve the Raccoon Creek watershed north of Lena in Stephenson County.

Thorn Creek Macrosite
Counties: Cook and Will Primary contact: John Mendelson, 708/534­4487

Community Economic Development Agency (CEDA), $6,427.04. Pilot Project ­ Environmental Day Camp for Middle School Students. Funds will be used to sponsor a week­long environmental summer day camp at the Ford Heights Service Center for 30 fifth­ and sixth­grade students in Ford Heights, Cook County. The day camp will provide hands­on environmental learning activities, recreation, and two field trips.

CEDA, $2,696.40. Enhancing Teacher Awareness of Biodiversity in Watersheds. Funds will be used to sponsor a day­long professional development workshop in August 2001 for up to sixteen fifth­ and sixth­grade teachers nominated by their principals and superintendents in the Thorn Creek Watershed. The workshop will be geared toward increasing the awareness of area teachers and students of biodiversity in watersheds. The project will be based in Ford Heights in Cook County.

Upper Des Plaines River Partnership
Counties: Lake, DuPage and Cook Primary contact: Michael Sands, 847/548­4062

Liberty Prairie Conservancy, $40,000. Bull Creek Watershed Baseline Information and Monitoring Program. Research will be conducted to collect baseline information on the condition of three adjacent sub­watersheds of the Des Plaines River near Libertyville in Lake County.

Village of Lincolnshire, $79,500. Des Plaines Riparian Restoration. Funds will be used to provide restoration by reducing soil erosion, improving hydrology, planting native vegetation and reestablishing wetlands in Lincolnshire in Lake County.

Upper DuPage River Partnership
Counties: Will, DuPage, Cook and Kane Primary contact: Brook McDonald, 630/428­4500

Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, $14,000. Storm Water Technical Assistance and Education. The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission will use project funds to meet with municipalities in the DuPage River watershed and present a slide presentation depicting local and cumulative impacts of watershed development and alternative designs for storm water management. Technical assistance will be available. The project will be administered by the Northeast Illinois Planning Commission and will benefit residents in DuPage County.

The Conservation Foundation, $50,000. West Branch, DuPage River Wetland and Riparian Restoration. The foundation will use project funds for tree, brush and invasive plant removal, minor earth work and enhancement of native vegetation northwest of Winfield in DuPage County.

Upper Kaskaskia River Partnership
Counties: Champaign, Piatt, Macon, Shelby, Moultrie, Coles and Douglas Primary contact: Steve Jurgens, 217/728­4214

Earth Partners, $21,200. Hands­on Environmental In­Service for K­12 Educators. A four­day workshop will be developed for teachers with actual hands­on experiences at local watershed sites. Teachers will receive training from scientists and environmental educators and 25 environmental resource kits will be developed and provided to the teachers. This project will be administered in Champaign for teachers in Champaign, Piatt, Macon, Shelby, Moultrie, Coles and Douglas counties.

Upper Rock River Partnership
Counties: Stephenson, Winnebago Primary contact: Ed Johnston, 815/987­4247, ext. 130

Rockford Park District, $17,960. Kent Creek Watershed Assessment Project. Funding will be used to determine and document watershed physical characteristics, land use and landowner profiles using existing aerial photographs, U.S. Geological Survey data, on­site observations and Winnebago County Clerk files; divide the stream into a minimum of 10 reaches and associated monitoring sites to assess water quality, hydrology and aquatic characteristics; organize and activate the Kent Creek Watershed Advisory Council; and, archive existing data and compile a final report. The project will be based in Rockford in Winnebago County.

Willow Creek Homeowners Association c/o Donna Conley, $28,100. Willow Creek Watershed Land Assessment and Hydrology Evaluation. The project will fund assessments and surveys to address stream channel stabilization and flooding along 2.5 miles of Willow Creek that flow through Machesney Park and Loves Park in Winnebago County. A hydrology model will be developed to determine channel stabilization and flood problems in this portion of the creek.

Vermilion River Partnership
Counties: Vermilion and Iroquois Primary contact: Kevin Green, 217/442­8610

Vermilion County Soil and Water Conservation District, $60,000. Boardwalk for Wetland Education ­ Phase II. This project is an extension of Phase I, which included a 500­ foot floating boardwalk with observation decks for a wetland located approximately six miles north of Danville in Vermilion County. Phase II will continue with another 500 feet of boardwalk to complete the loop, an additional observation deck, interpretive signs and a connecting trail.

Vermilion County Soil and Water Conservation District, $5,235. Forest Management Demonstration Site. Project funds will be used for a five­acre demonstration site within the Glen Forest Preserve. Demonstrations will include forest management utilizing prescribed burns, thinning, and other woodland improvement techniques that may revitalize forests. The demonstration are will be located approximately three miles northeast of Georgetown in Vermilion County.

Vermilion Watershed Task Force Partnership
Counties: LaSalle, Livingston, Woodford, Marshall, McLean, Ford and Iroquois Primary contact: Bob Lawless, 815/692­4433

Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District, $4,200. Humiston Woods Nature Center Interpretive Trail Guides. This project will provide funding for the design and printing of four interpretive trail guides for Humiston Woods Nature Center in Pontiac in Livingston County.

Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District, $9,023. Equipment Livingston and McLean County. The district will use project funds to purchase an all terrain vehicle, 55­gallon trailer sprayer, seeder and aluminum ramps to aid in habitat projects in Livingston County and throughout the partnership.