About Us
Established in 1981, the Carterville Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (FWCO) is located in Carbondale, Illinois and serves the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Kentucky. We work with state, federal, and academic partners to understand and manage populations of aquatic invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species , restore habitat for native species (fishes and other aquatic organisms), and create recreational opportunities, restore habitat, and decrease wildlife conflict on Department of Defense lands. In 2015, the Carterville FWCO established a substation in Wilmington, Illinois on the southern outskirts of the Chicago metropolitan area that provides U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff with easy access to the Illinois Waterway , including the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and Chicago Area Waterway System, where silver and bighead carps pose a risk of invading the Great Lakes Basin via the connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.
Our Mission
The Carterville FWCO and Wilmington Substation work on projects to maintain diverse, self-sustaining populations of fish and other aquatic organisms and habitats, manage and control invasive carps (i.e., silver, bighead, grass, and black carps) by coordinating implementation of the national management and control plan for these species in the Mississippi, Ohio, Wabash, Cumberland, and Tennessee rivers as well as the Illinois Waterway. The Carterville FWCO also partners with the Department of Defense to create recreational opportunities, restore habitat, and decrease wildlife conflict on military lands.
Our History
1981 - Carterville Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office established (formerly known as the Carterville Fisheries Resource Office) in Marion, Illinois.
2015 - Wilmington Substation established.
2019 - The Carterville FWCO relocated to Carbondale, Illinois with expanded onsite boat storage.
2019 - Wilmington Substation equipment building with future office space constructed at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
Other Facilities in this Complex
The Carterville FWCO now also includes the Wilmington Substation located on the U.S. Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Wilmington, Illinois.