Protecting the high-quality Kishwaukee River

This December, Openlands is adding almost 200 acres to its ongoing project to protect the high-quality Kishwaukee River through Boone County. The main stem headwaters of the Kishwaukee River start in McHenry County, close to the Wisconsin border. The river then flows west through Boone County, picking up several high-quality tributary streams, before joining the Rock River in Winnebago County. The Kishwaukee's South Branch runs through Kane and DeKalb counties and joins the main stem in Winnebago County just above the confluence with the Rock River. The Kishwaukee River is one of just a handful of rivers in the entire State of Illinois that have a "Class A" rating for aquatic quality. 

Under this project – which will ultimately protect about 600 acres in total – Openlands places conservation easements on the land, then transfers the lands to the Boone County Conservation District to own and manage for public recreational use and ecological restoration. The diverse properties include forested and shrub wetlands, upland and forest savannah, and grassland and converted agricultural land, providing habitat for significant species of turtle, dragonfly, invertebrates, amphibians, migratory shorebirds and waterfowl, and raptors. The project is supported by generous grants from Grand Victoria Foundation and Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, in partnership with The Conservation Fund, the Boone County Conservation District, and the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District.

Many people are unaware that public land, as well as private land, can be protected through a conservation easement. Openlands holds conservation easements on public lands across the region. The conservation easements ensure that the properties are preserved and used in accord with the original intent of the public acquisition. The easements limit allowable uses to such things as recreation, restoration, and public open space. The conservation easements remove the development potential from the parcels, ensuring that future governmental boards will not decide to liquidate or develop these lands. Since local governments like the Boone County Conservation District often finance land acquisitions, restoration, and trail and facility development through grants, the conservation easements also help secure those investments.

Earlier this year, Openlands published the findings from its year-long survey of mussels in the Kishwaukee River. "This report is important because it provides valuable data that will help conservationists, elected officials, and scientists protect and restore key portions of the Kishwaukee and its tributaries, which are used regularly for a wide range of educational, recreational, and research purposes," explains Openlands President & CEO Jerry Adelmann.

Conducted throughout 2010 at 18 sites along the river, the study focused on freshwater mussels, among the best indicators of the long-term health of a waterway because, unlike macroinvertebrates, they live long and, unlike fish, they don't travel very far. Native mussels are slow—they can only 'run' about three feet an hour—and can spend their entire lives—sometimes dozens of years—in a small area if food is abundant and water quality is good. "We hope that our findings, which are generally pretty positive, will help municipalities pursue strong water quality standards and safeguard the Kishwaukee for many generations," adds Openlands Associate Greenways Director Laura Barghusen, the report's co-author.

Openlands has worked for 15 years with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and citizens in the Kishwaukee River watershed.