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News
Our Accomplishments
Board Meeting Minutes |
News
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LMREP Board Meeting
April 28th, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Senior Center in Augusta
Past Events
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Illinois River Sweep
On September 19th, 2009 we hosted a river clean-up on the
La Moine River as part of the 2009
Illinois River Sweep. The River Sweep is an
annual river clean-up event that is held at over 25 different
communities up and down the
Illinois River (and tributaries)---all at the same time. It
is manned by volunteers that want to make a difference. LMREP volunteered
to help clean-up
the La Moine River (a major tributary to the
Illinois) in
the Macomb area.
see photos...
LMREP
Annual Meeting
LMREP’s annual meeting was held
Wednesday,November 11, 2009 at the Phoenix Opera House in
Rushville, IL . Our featured speaker was Dr. Michael Wiant,
Director of Dickson Mounds Museum who spoke on
Healthy
Watershed, Healthy History: How land conservation preserves earth
and human history. Thirty people attended and joined Dr.
Michael Wiant, on a journey through time along the
La Moine River and its tributaries- highlighting the
archeology and geology of the area.
Master craftsman,
Tim Dillard
from Brown County, gave a flint-knapping demonstration Appetizers
featuring locally grown foods were served.
The local growers who provided food for
our annual meeting are as follows:
Local Growers
Bison meatballs from Broken Bar S Farm
Nell & Jurl Sutherland
Rt 1 Box 26, Littleton, IL
309-331-4983
Bread & Crackers from Bluebird Gardens
James & Nancy Crosby
Rt 4 Box 79, Rushville, IL
217-322-3625
Organic Popcorn from WIU-Allison Organic
Farm
Joel Gruver-WIU Ag Dept
Macomb, IL
309-298-1215
Apples from Seneczko Acres
Mike & Shannon Seneczko and Brian & Nancy
Peak
Rt 1 Box 72, Camden, IL
217-322-3464
Locally grown beef salami from Houser
Meats
Doug & Terri Houser
Rt 2 Box 180B, Rushville, IL
217-322-4994
www.housermeats.com
Cheese from Ropp Jersey Cheese
Ropp Family
2676 Ropp Rd, Normal, IL
309-452-3641
www.roppcheese.com
LMREP’s 2009
Accomplishments
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Hutchins Ecosystem
Restoration Project: This is a large scale restoration
project on over 120ac of pasture on Kepple Creek. It includes
livestock management and habitat restoration. To date, we have
accomplished:1000 ft of stream bank stabilization and four
riffles, two acres of wetland restoration and creation,
tree planting,
Timber Stand Improvement, exotic species removal and treatment,
several acres of upland and bottomland
prairie restoration, livestock fencing,
erosion control
measures including several dry dams, and the installation
of a well. This project will be fully completed by March 2010
and the remaining work includes: additional wetland
restoration/creation, riparian and
upland
prairie establishment, exotic species control, cattle crossings,
additional fencing, installation of a watering system,
additional erosion
control practices, tree and
shrub plantings,
and educational signage.
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La Moine River
Livestock Initiative: Modeled after the Hutchins
restoration, this project is assisting numerous livestock
producers with similar practices through a large IEPA grant.
This project is confined to the upper reaches of the La Moine
watershed in sub-watersheds outlined in the 2006 watershed plan
as high priority to protect water quality. To date, seven
producers are participating and one additional is being sought
to close out the grant. The project has fenced several miles of
stream, implemented rotational grazing systems, stabilized
stream banks, restored wetlands, removed exotic species,
established native prairie, and installed erosion control
practices.
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McDonough/Fulton Co.
Gully Sully Stabilization Project: A recent grant awarded by
the IEPA is being used to stabilize over 30 highly erodible
gullies in Fulton and to a lesser extent,
McDonough County. This project is targeted to those
sub-watersheds outlined in the 2006 watershed plan as high
priority for erosion control. Work on this project has just
begun, with plans and designs for practices being developed. To
date, plans have been drafted for all sites in McDonough Co. It
is the intent to begin construction of practices later this
fall.
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Developing a
Watershed and
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL*) Plan for
Prairie Creek
in Hancock Co. Prairie Creek drains over 15,000 acres including
the city of
Carthage. *A TMDL is defined as a calculation of the
maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and
still meet state
water quality standards. This is being done through a
partnership with
Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Illinois
State Water Survey (ISWS),
United States
Department of Agriculture and the Hancock Co Soil and
Water
Conservation District. Conservation practices such as
grassed waterways, dry dams and other strategies are being
encouraged to achieve the goals of this Plan to address
Phosphorous and Sediment entering these streams.
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Helped to develop the
Prairie Land Conservancy…which is a land trust which operates as
a division of Prairie Hills Resource Conservation and
Development based in
Macomb, Illinois. The service area of the land trust is a
10-county area comprising the following counties in west-central
Illinois: Adams, Brown, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox,
McDonough, Pike, Schuyler and Warren.
Wheels for Conservation Bus Tour
Saturday, August 18th 2007,
LMREP hosted a conservation bus tour and educational day featuring
several sites along the La Moine River.
see photos...
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