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Optional Field Trip Information (Monday, July 29)
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FIELD TRIP #1: Fish Passage Yin/Yang Trip (9:00am-4:00pm) -- $75.00
 Hofmann Dams 1&2 Removal
(9:00am-1:00pm)
Des Plaines River between Riverside and Lyons, IL
Millbridge Rd and Fairbank Rd, Lyons, IL
Restore 57 miles of free flowing river by removing 2 dams and notching a 3rd dam; stabilize and revegetate 1200' of shoreline; construct a channel from Swan Pond Park
Web Site:
fpdcc.com/hofmann-dam-removal-project/
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjkSDYoQk1c
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Electric Dispersal Barrier (Asian Carp) (1:00pm-4:00pm)
Romeoville, IL Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal
Dispersal Barrier for Invasive Species to the Great Lakes: The dispersal barriers are located in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which is a man-made waterway creating the only continuous connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River basin. The dispersal barrier system was developed to deter the spread of invasive fish species between these watersheds. It consists of three electric barriers which have steel electrodes mounted across the bed of the canal. On-land equipment sends a pulsing DC current through the electrodes, creating an electric field in the water that discourages fish from swimming through.
Web Site: www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorksProjects/ANSPortal/Barrier.aspx
Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/usacechicago/sets/72157627138482598/with/5911792313/
FIELD TRIP #2: Agri to Habitat Trip (8:00am-5:30pm) -- $75.00
 Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge at Hennepin & Hopper Lakes (8:00am-5:30pm)
Illinois River floodplain just south of Hennepin, IL
9231 State Route 26, Hennepin IL 61327
2,750-acre restoration of Midwest lake, marsh, seep and spring, sedge meadow, prairie, and savanna habitat. Former Illinois River drainage and levee district in agriculture until 2001, restored to a complex mosaic of wetlands, prairie, and savanna; now designated as a RAMSAR wetland of International Importance, an Audubon Important Bird Area, with an Illinois State Nature Preserve, home to many state (and some federal) listed species.
Web Site: www.wetlands-initiative.org/what-we-do/dixon-waterfowl-refuge.html
FIELD TRIP #3: Chicago Metro Projects Trip (8:30am-6:30pm) -- $75.00
(with dinner stop)
 63rd Street Dune and Beach
Downtown Chicago
6300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL.
Restore 14 acres of dune and beach and 7 acres aquatic habitat along Lake MI shoreline. . The 63rd Street Dune restoration project is approximately 21-acres in size and includes lacustrine, beach and dune habitat. The lacustrine portion includes natural cobble pockets along the existing jetty as habitat for invertebrates, fishes and potentially mudpuppies. Placed on top of the cobble pockets are sunken trees to increase the vertical habitat structure for fishes. Two coastal plant communities were restored, one along the current beach area and one landward of the beach, with native dune grasses including marram grass and little bluestem grass. Prickly pear cactus can also be found in the restored dune area. The state endangered sea rocket has established colonies in the area between the water and the dune. This natural area is used during the migration seasons by waterfowl, and several species of shorebirds were observed: including the Tricolored Heron and the Federally endangered Piping Plover.
Web Site: www.lrc.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorksProjects/63rdStreetDune.aspx
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Burnham Wildlife Corridor
Downtown Chicago
McCormick Pl and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
The Burnham Wildlife Corridor is 100 acres of planned and existing natural areas in Burnham Park. The corridor includes prairie, savanna and woodland sections. When complete, it will be the largest contiguous natural area along the Chicago Lakefront. The length of the corridor stretches over two miles, from McCormick Pl to E 47th St. The Chicago lakefront is a tremendous recreational asset to the city, but it also has crucial value to migratory bird routes.
Web Site: www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-1-million-for-Millennium-Reserve-Restoration-and-Conservation-Projects.cfm
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Northerly Island
Downtown Chicago
1300 S. Lynn White Drive, Chicago, IL.
Re-create 40 acre wetland, pond, prairie, savanna, and lacustrine habitats; connect pond to Lake Michigan for fish spawning habitat
Web Site: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northerly_Island
FIELD TRIP #4: Local Bird Habitat Trip (8:00am-3:00pm) -- $50.00
Poplar Creek
Hoffman Estates
Sutton Rd and Old Shoe Factory Rd, Hoffman Estates, IL
Poplar Creek Prairie is a 300 acre woodland and prairie restoration project which began in August 1989. Much of the work has involved restoring decades old farmland into native vegetation. This has involved many years of brush removal, weed control, and native seed planting. Fortunately, at the north end of the project, sits a crown jewel in the Illinois Nature Preserve System--Shoe Factory Road Prairie. Over the previous centuries, this nine acre gravel hill prairie managed to avoid the farmer's plows. Although initially partially overgrown in spots, it has been freed from invasives and maintains one of the finest assemblages of dry hill native plants in Illinois. This native seed source has been instrumental in our restoration efforts along with providing a spectacular view over the restoration below.
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 Spring Creek
Barrington,IL
Higgins Rd and Old Sutton Rd, Barrington,IL
Large-scale 4000 acre restoration project includes drain tile disablement, filling ditches, invasive species removal, native plant establishment to restore diverse ecosystems including prairies, wetlands, oak woodlands, savannas, shrublands and fens. This area also supports some of the largest and most diverse populations of grassland birds in the Midwest.
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 Deer Grove East
Palatine, IL
100 W Dundee Rd Palatine, IL
Large-scale wetland/grassland/savanna restoration. Part of Openlands' O'Hare Modernization and Mitigation program, the 181 acre restoration project is expected to be largely completed by 2014. Starting in November 2009, backhoes began removing 3,000 lineal feet of clay drain tiles. In the early winter of 2010 chainsaws and bobcats began removing invasive trees. Thick brushy woods that prevented sunlight from reaching ground-level plants became 60 acres of open woodlands with breathtaking vistas of prairies, rolling hills, and wetlands that haven't been visible in decades. 80 acres of Eurasian old fields will be replaced with a diverse mix of 200 species of native sedges, grasses, and flowers, including blazing star, rattlesnake master, and little bluestem. The 30 acres of wetlands that already grace the site has been planted with over 57,000 native plugs.
General Information for all field trips:
Recommended Clothing: Dress for walking---long pants, lightweight long sleeved shirt, hat and sunscreen.
Food provided: Lunch, water and snacks.
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