University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The DuPage River basin : an inventory of the region's resources

Post, Susan L.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/14147

Description

Title
The DuPage River basin : an inventory of the region's resources
Author(s)
Post, Susan L.
Issue Date
2001-02
Keyword(s)
  • Natural Resources --Illinois --Du Page River Watershed
  • Environmental protection --Illinois --Du Page River Watershed
  • Ecosystem management --Illinois --Du Page River Watershed
Geographic Coverage
Illinois
Abstract
From its perch on a telephone wire strung over a busy interstate, a kestrel surveys its ever-shrinking domain. Gone are Brushy Grove, Twelve-mile Grove, and Jewel Grove, islands of trees in the vast prairie that was once DuPage and Will County. They have been replaced by towns and developments with tree-like names — Woodridge, Downers Grove, and Elmhurst. Strings of geese crisscross the sky high above the kestrel, bathed in a golden glow from a low winter sun. The numerous flocks of geese seem to mimic the endless lines of telephone wires stretching across the landscape. Yet they go unnoticed by the ever watchful kestrel. Suddenly the bird moves, swoops, hovers, drops, and grasps a prairie vole within its talons. Life has changed for the kestrel, but it can still be good. As in the rest of the state, settlement of the DuPage River basin began with the slow emergence of pioneer settlements progressing to self-supporting farm centers. By the mid-twentieth century, however, the similarity stops as the area becomes an almost continuous urban landscape, the result of its proximity to Chicago, one of the largest cities on the earth. Urban development has affected everything from agriculture to archaeology, wildlife to wild areas. Life has changed for humans too, but, like for the kestrel, it can still be good. Residents are working together to preserve and expand greenspace and wildlife habitat, as well as improv
Publisher
Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources
Series/Report Name or Number
Critical Trends Assessment Program
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/14147
Copyright and License Information
These documents are a product of the Illinois state scientific surveys and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and has been selected and made available by the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They are intended solely for noncommercial research and educational use, and proper attribution is requested.

Owning Collections

Critical Trends Assessment Program PRIMARY
Detailed assessments of 32 major watersheds in Illinois, conducted through the Critical Trends Assessment Program administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Includes contributions from each of the State Scientific Surveys which are now part of the Prairie Research Institute.