U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Approves Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
After nearly three years of planning and gathering public input, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the creation of the Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Indiana and northeastern Illinois. The approval was made in conjunction with completion of the agencys final environmental assessment, which evaluated potential environmental, economic, and social impacts of establishing a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge in the Kankakee River Basin.
The refuge will someday encompass about 30,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, oak savannas, and other fish and wildlife habitat in scattered tracts throughout the basin. According to the final environmental assessment, the refuge will be managed to preserve, enhance, and restore natural areas within the basin to benefit migratory birds, native fish, endangered species, and diverse plant and animal communities.
The Kankakee River Basin was once known around the world for the diversity and abundance of fish and wildlife associated with the Grand Marsh, said William Hartwig, the Services Regional Director who approved the refuge. This refuge presents a unique opportunity to restore and protect a small piece of this countrys natural heritage.
The Service is also fully aware of the importance of the refuge to local communities, businesses, and farming interests in the Kankakee River Basin, Hartwig added. I think the Service has demonstrated over the past three years that we are ready to listen and to work hard to resolve issues of concern to the people who will be our neighbors in the Kankakee River region.
Hartwig said that during the 150-day public comment period on the draft assessment, several issues were raised by the public. Among them were flood control in the watershed, impacts to agriculture and prime farmland, and coordination with other agencies, especially the Army Corps of Engineers.
According to the environmental assessment, restoring wetlands and prairies within the Kankakee River watershed would help reduce the impacts of flooding by holding more water on the land, and by increasing the amount of water absorbed by the land, thus reducing runoff. Land that might be included in the refuge would likely include flood-prone lands that are of marginal agricultural value but of high value to fish and wildlife.
Loss of agricultural lands is a primary concern for some communities in the watershed. However, the vast majority of acres lost to farming succumb to urban sprawl and other forms of development. A national wildlife refuge may be the best tool to we have to combat the intrusion of land uses that are detrimental to agriculture and to fish and wildlife, Hartwig said. Lands within a national wildlife refuge are nurtured and conserved for future generations.
Working closely with other agencies will continue to be a focus of Service efforts in the Kankakee River Basin, according to Hartwig. The Service and the Army Corps of Engineers recently signed an interagency partnership agreement to help guide each agencys planning activities in the basin. The two agencies will coordinate their planning efforts during development of the Services comprehensive conservation plan for the refuge, and the Corps feasibility study on flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration in the basin.
Also under the partnership agreement is the formation of a steering committee to enhance coordination among state and federal agencies. Members of the steering committee include representatives of the Service, the Corps, and the state directors of the natural resources departments in Indiana and Illinois.
No land has been acquired for the refuge. In its final environmental assessment, the Service outlines plans to seek voluntary partnerships and easements, along with purchases of land -- from willing sellers only -- to establish the refuge. Funding for any land acquisition must be approved by Congress and would come from two sources: the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is supported by taxes on offshore oil drilling, and the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which is supported by the sale of the federal duck stamps.
The Service began examining the possibility of a national wildlife refuge in 1996. The agency conducted a series of scoping meetings to gauge public interest and concerns in early 1997, and developed a draft environmental assessment based on those and other meetings. The draft document was released in spring of 1998, followed by additional public meetings, public hearings, and a 150-day public comment period. The Service also mailed periodic project updates to nearly recipients on its mailing list. The final environmental assessment addresses issues of concern and spells out the Services goals and mission for the refuge, along with information on expected environmental, social, and economic impacts of establishing a national wildlife refuge in the Kankakee River Basin.
The Grand Marsh of the Kankakee once stretched from the rivers headwaters near South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, westward to Momence, Illinois. There, a rock ledge in the riverbed created a natural dam that formed the vast wetland. The Grand Marsh covered up to a million acres before the turn of the century and was known worldwide as a hunting site for waterfowl and other wildlife. Much of the wetland has vanished with the removal of the rock ledge, other drainage projects, and conversion of land to other uses.
We are not establishing this refuge to bring back the Grand Marsh, Hartwig concluded, but we are trying to keep a small piece of it. Future generations will be able to experience this wonderful place in person instead of reading about it in a history book, and I think they will thank us for it.
The Services final environmental assessment for the Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge is available on the Services Region 3 HomePage.
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge in the Kankakee River Basin.
The refuge will someday encompass about 30,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, oak savannas, and other fish and wildlife habitat in scattered tracts throughout the basin. According to the final environmental assessment, the refuge will be managed to preserve, enhance, and restore natural areas within the basin to benefit migratory birds, native fish, endangered species, and diverse plant and animal communities.
The Kankakee River Basin was once known around the world for the diversity and abundance of fish and wildlife associated with the Grand Marsh, said William Hartwig, the Services Regional Director who approved the refuge. This refuge presents a unique opportunity to restore and protect a small piece of this countrys natural heritage.
The Service is also fully aware of the importance of the refuge to local communities, businesses, and farming interests in the Kankakee River Basin, Hartwig added. I think the Service has demonstrated over the past three years that we are ready to listen and to work hard to resolve issues of concern to the people who will be our neighbors in the Kankakee River region.
Hartwig said that during the 150-day public comment period on the draft assessment, several issues were raised by the public. Among them were flood control in the watershed, impacts to agriculture and prime farmland, and coordination with other agencies, especially the Army Corps of Engineers.
According to the environmental assessment, restoring wetlands and prairies within the Kankakee River watershed would help reduce the impacts of flooding by holding more water on the land, and by increasing the amount of water absorbed by the land, thus reducing runoff. Land that might be included in the refuge would likely include flood-prone lands that are of marginal agricultural value but of high value to fish and wildlife.
Loss of agricultural lands is a primary concern for some communities in the watershed. However, the vast majority of acres lost to farming succumb to urban sprawl and other forms of development. A national wildlife refuge may be the best tool to we have to combat the intrusion of land uses that are detrimental to agriculture and to fish and wildlife, Hartwig said. Lands within a national wildlife refuge are nurtured and conserved for future generations.
Working closely with other agencies will continue to be a focus of Service efforts in the Kankakee River Basin, according to Hartwig. The Service and the Army Corps of Engineers recently signed an interagency partnership agreement to help guide each agencys planning activities in the basin. The two agencies will coordinate their planning efforts during development of the Services comprehensive conservation plan for the refuge, and the Corps feasibility study on flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration in the basin.
Also under the partnership agreement is the formation of a steering committee to enhance coordination among state and federal agencies. Members of the steering committee include representatives of the Service, the Corps, and the state directors of the natural resources departments in Indiana and Illinois.
No land has been acquired for the refuge. In its final environmental assessment, the Service outlines plans to seek voluntary partnerships and easements, along with purchases of land -- from willing sellers only -- to establish the refuge. Funding for any land acquisition must be approved by Congress and would come from two sources: the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is supported by taxes on offshore oil drilling, and the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which is supported by the sale of the federal duck stamps.
The Service began examining the possibility of a national wildlife refuge in 1996. The agency conducted a series of scoping meetings to gauge public interest and concerns in early 1997, and developed a draft environmental assessment based on those and other meetings. The draft document was released in spring of 1998, followed by additional public meetings, public hearings, and a 150-day public comment period. The Service also mailed periodic project updates to nearly recipients on its mailing list. The final environmental assessment addresses issues of concern and spells out the Services goals and mission for the refuge, along with information on expected environmental, social, and economic impacts of establishing a national wildlife refuge in the Kankakee River Basin.
The Grand Marsh of the Kankakee once stretched from the rivers headwaters near South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, westward to Momence, Illinois. There, a rock ledge in the riverbed created a natural dam that formed the vast wetland. The Grand Marsh covered up to a million acres before the turn of the century and was known worldwide as a hunting site for waterfowl and other wildlife. Much of the wetland has vanished with the removal of the rock ledge, other drainage projects, and conversion of land to other uses.
We are not establishing this refuge to bring back the Grand Marsh, Hartwig concluded, but we are trying to keep a small piece of it. Future generations will be able to experience this wonderful place in person instead of reading about it in a history book, and I think they will thank us for it.
The Services final environmental assessment for the Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge is available on the Services Region 3 HomePage.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprising more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries and 78 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://www.fws.gov/r3pao/
