Coastal Habitat Restoration (Lake County, IL)
Location
The proposed coastal wetland and dune project would be located at the mouth of the Waukegan River in Lake County, Illinois.
Background
The primary loss of natural habitat within the Waukegan River subwatershed is attributed to converting natural coastlines and tributaries from beach, dune, marsh, savanna, and prairie into industrial, urban, and recreational lands. Natural coastal topography has been altered and, as in most modifications to systems this large, the effects are difficult to repair in terms of ecological function, and other factors become important, such as funding and the attitude of local constituents. In terms of habitat restoration, however, certain goals are quite achievable.
Project Description
The proposed project is within the Waukegan River subwatershed. The goal of the project is to restore coastal wetland, beach, dune, and riverine habitat. Currently, the nearshore lake, beach, dune, and riverine ecotypes provide very little habitat for coastal species in the project area. Dune and beach habitats are overrun by non-native and invasive plant species and completely littered with foreign debris. The surf zone currently provides habitat for a nominal number of minnow species such as sand shiner (Notropis stramineus) and spot tail shiner (Notropis hudsonius). The potential for restoring dune, coastal marsh, and littoral vegetation at the mouth of the Waukegan River is good due to the shallow water depths and the protection against wave action from the north. Specific project design would be guided by the Fish Community Objectives for Lake Michigan that were established by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission special publication 95–3.
Importance
Benefits would be accrued by increasing habitat quality and native species’ richness and abundance. Project restoration features would be beneficial to locally threatened, endangered, and rare species such as marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata), sea rocket (Cakile edentula), banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus), lake chub (Couseius plumbeus), black tern (Chlidonias niger), black crown night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Foster’s tern (Sterna forsteri), and common tern (Sterna hirundo). Project features would be designed to support the effort of important fisheries restoration such as yellow perch (Perca flavescens).
Congressional Interest
- Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
- Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
- Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL-10)
Funding
| Total | Federal | Nonfederal | |
| Current working estimate | $1,015,615 | * | * |
| Funding to date | $0 | * | * |
| Funds required to complete project | $1,015,615 | * | * |
* No data was provided.
Waukegan River Project Manager Kirston Buczak Click here to download a copy |