THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE

ON-THE-GROUND RESTORATION - 2024 WAS A GROWTH YEAR FOR THE WETLANDS INITIATIVE, DURING WHICH THE ORGANIZATION EXPANDED ITS ON-THE-GROUND ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION PROJECTS ACROSS ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. IN PARTICULAR, TWI'S COLLABORATIVE WORK IN THE BI-STATE CALUMET REGION SAW SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION WITH FRESH PROJECT PHASES AND NEW MAJOR FUNDING AT IMPORTANT REMNANT WETLAND SITES IN BOTH SOUTHEAST CHICAGO AND NORTHWEST INDIANA. THESE EFFORTS ARE RETURNING IMPORTANT HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE AND RARE MARSH BIRDS, BOOSTING CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND IMPROVING NATURE ACCESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THIS URBAN REGION'S UNDERSERVED RESIDENTS. PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: - TWI CONTINUED PHASE III HABITAT RESTORATION AT INDIAN RIDGE MARSH NORTH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT, BUILDING ON HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SHORELINE MODIFICATION IN 2023 THAT CREATED VALUABLE TRANSITIONAL HABITAT.- AT SQUARE MARSH, OWNED BY THE ILLINOIS INTERNATIONAL PORT DISTRICT AND PART OF HISTORIC LAKE CALUMET, TWI AND THE NATURE CONSERVANCY OF ILLINOIS TOOK THE FIRST STEPS IN A MULTI-YEAR RESTORATION PLAN WITH TREATMENT OF INVASIVE PHRAGMITES AND BUCKTHORN. - IN NW INDIANA, ALONG THE WEST BRANCH OF THE LITTLE CALUMET RIVER, TWI AND PARTNERS IN THE LITTLE CALUMET RIVER CONSERVATION COLLABORATIVE CONTINUED PHASE III HABITAT RESTORATION ON THREE HIGH-PRIORITY PARCELS TOTALING 436 ACRES, SHIFTING FOCUS TO LARGE NATIVE PLANT INSTALLATIONS AS SEED AND PLUGS WITH EXPANDED VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION. THE COLLABORATIVE ALSO MOVED FORWARD WITH PLANNING FOR ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION AND IMPROVED PUBLIC ACCESS ON TWO MAJOR, HIGH-POTENTIAL TRACTS WITHIN THE LITTLE CALUMET CORRIDOR: MARSHALLTOWN MARSH AND THE CHASE STREET COMPLEX. BOTH DESIGN PROCESSES FOCUS ON STREAM RE-MEANDERING-NEVER PREVIOUSLY ACCOMPLISHED IN NW INDIANA-AND ARE BEING DRIVEN BY RESIDENT AND STAKEHOLDER INPUT TO ENSURE SITE PLANS ARE RESPONSIVE TO COMMUNITY DESIRES AND NEEDS.AT TWI'S 3,000-PLUS-ACRE SUE AND WES DIXON WATERFOWL REFUGE IN NORTH-CENTRAL ILLINOIS, A DESIGNATED RAMSAR WETLAND OF INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE, TWI STAFF ENHANCED PUBLIC ACCESS IN 2024 BY DEVELOPING NEW AMENITIES AND INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE AT THE NEWLY RESTORED VIOLET MEADOW PARCEL AND REFURBISHED THE REFUGE'S 30-FOOT OBSERVATION TOWER. IN ADVANCE OF LONGTIME SENIOR ECOLOGIST DR. GARY SULLIVAN'S RETIREMENT, TWI SCIENTISTS CREATED A COMPREHENSIVE REFUGE MANAGEMENT PLAN TO PROVIDE STRATEGIC GUIDANCE FOR THE SITE'S COMING YEARS. MEANWHILE, A NEW FULL-TIME SITE MANAGER LED THE RESTORATION CREW IN ENHANCING THE REFUGE'S DORE SEEP NATURE PRESERVE, MANAGING INVASIVE CATTAILS AND WOODY SHRUBS THAT WERE ENCROACHING THE HIGHLY DIVERSE SEEP PLANT COMMUNITY. FINALLY, TWI PREPARED 40 ACRES OF FORMER FARMLAND FOR RESTORATION TO GLOBALLY SAND PRAIRIE ON A NEW TRACT THAT TWI ACQUIRED ADJACENT TO THE REFUGE'S SANDY HOLLOW PARCEL IN LATE 2023. WITH THE COMPLETION OF A MASSIVE SEVEN-YEAR RESTORATION EFFORT IN 2023, IN 2024 TWI INITIATED A NEW, EQUALLY SIGNIFICANT PROJECT AT THE FOREST SERVICE'S MIDEWIN NATIONAL TALLGRASS PRAIRIE IN WILL COUNTY-THE LARGEST PROTECTED OPEN SPACE IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN REGION. IN COLLABORATION WITH OPENLANDS, TWI KICKED OFF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE GRANT CREEK STREAM RESTORATION, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO THE CHICAGO WILDERNESS REGION'S FIRST STREAM RE-MEANDERING EFFORT. THE GRANT CREEK PARCEL COMPRISES 1,321 ACRES THAT WILL BE TRANSFORMED TO HEALTHY PRAIRIE, SAVANNA, AND FLOODPLAIN WETLAND HABITAT, BENEFITING DECLINING GRASSLAND BIRD SPECIES AND EXPANDING RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ADJACENT TO MIDEWIN'S HEAVILY VISITED BISON PASTURE. OVER 2024, TWI'S MIDEWIN FIELD CREW WORKED TO REMOVE SMALL INVASIVE TREES AND SHRUBS, WHILE A CONTRACTOR WAS SELECTED TO BEGIN LARGE-SCALE REMOVAL OF AGGRESSIVE/NON-NATIVE TREES.