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Implementing Watershed Conservation Goals in an Agricultural Landscape through
Innovative Partnerships, Education, and Community Engagement in the Mackinaw
River Watershed, Illinois
Krista Kirkham
Authors
Jackie Kraft, McLean County SWCDKent Bohnhoff, McLean County NRCS
Dr. Maria Lemke, The Nature Conservancy
Ashley Maybanks, The Nature Conservancy
Rick Twait, City of Bloomington
Dr. Bill Perry, Illinois State University
Dr. Angelo Capparella, ParkLands Foundation
Dr. David Kovacic, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Mike Wallace, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Michael Brown, Ecology Action Center
Mike Garthaus, Friends of EverBloom
Terry Noto, Apphia T. LLC
USGS gaging stations
Lake EvergreenLake Bloomington
Research and Demonstration Farm
Paired Watershed
Drinking Watershed Project
Mackinaw River Project SitesIllinois River
Mississippi River
Paired Watershed Project Results: 1999-2006
• Outreach works• No nutrient/suspended sediment reduction• No impact on hydrology or biota
Need to better retain runoff, especially from tile drainage
WETLANDS
Inlet
Cell 1 Cell 2 Cell 3Tile
3% 3% 3%
6%
9%
Monitornutrients& flow
Monitornutrients& flow
Monitornutrients& flow
Monitornutrients& flow
How well does a wetland perform?
What size of wetland is most effective at reducing nutrients in tile runoff?
9% 6% 3%
9% 6% 3% 3% 6% 9%
Nutrient ReductionsNO3-N: 18%-44%P04-P: 57%-68%
Application Methods Seed Type/Rate
Modified Hiboy
Cereal ryeAerial
No-till drill
Oats and Radish
Tillage Radish
Annual Ryegrass
Cover Crops
USGS gaging stations
Lake EvergreenLake Bloomington
Research and Demonstration Farm
Paired Watershed
Drinking Watershed Project
Mackinaw River Project SitesIllinois River
Mississippi River
Six Mile Creek Watershed• 25,730 acres• Evergreen Lake
Money Creek Watershed• 43,100 acres• Lake Bloomington
Long-term goals:• To reduce nitrate loading to Lake
Bloomington, the source of water for 80,000 people and Bloomington and Normal, IL.
• To construct tile-drainage treatment wetlands and nutrient management practices at scale throughout the Lake Bloomington watershed.
• A proof of concept study that proposes a more sustainable approach to agricultural runoff than solely an engineering solution.
Conservation PracticesCRP CP-39: Farmable Wetlands Program50% cost-share40% practice
incentive payment $100/acre signing
incentive paymentCRP annual soil
rental payments + 20%
ADAPT NetworkNitrogen field trials
on corn (rate, timing, methods)
Corn stalk and soil testing, aerial imagery to determine nitrogen uptake
Nitrogen management plan
ParkLands Foundation
• Land Trust founded in 1967 by Loring Merwin• Mission Statement: To preserve, protect and
ecologically restore historic natural lands in the middle and upper Mackinaw Valley watershed
• Own ~1,500 acres of woodland, prairie, and riparian habitat in McLean and Woodford counties, Illinois.
Preservation and restoration of native habitats in central
Illinois
Outreach and volunteer opportunities
Friends of EverBloom• Not-for profit organization founded in
January 2013
• Mission Statement: to positively contribute to the overall health and function of Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake and their associated watersheds while using enhancement, restoration and protection of fish and aquatic species, sustainability plans for these ecosystems and associated watersheds, and enhanced public awareness of conservation issues surrounding these lakes as guiding principles.
Ecology Action Center• Created in 1971 under the name “Operation Recycle” in
Normal, IL• 1971-1982: Ongoing recycling drives are held in
Bloomington-Normal• 1982: Mid-Central Illinois Operation Recycle becomes a
full-time organization• 1995: Ecology Action Center opens as an educational
center• 2004: Operation Recycle officially changes its name to
the Ecology Action Center
Urban Watershed Protection Efforts
• Yard Smart: program promoting sustainable landscaping practices less likely to contribute to storm water runoff pollution. This includes promotion of YardSmart certification, specific strategies through resource handouts, and the popular annual YardSmart garden walk
• Ongoing build-it-yourself Rain Barrel workshops and affordable ready-to use rain barrels as a means to reduce storm water runoff (over 700 rain barrels in the community)
• Installation of demonstration rain gardens as a tool to absorb run off and filter out pollutants
• Storm drain inlet stenciling and door to door distribution of information on storm water runoff pollution and strategies to help reduce it
• Classroom presentations on clean water to every third grade classroom in Bloomington and Normal and several in the county as well
• Development of the mCLEANwater.org watershed clearinghouse website • Outreach to the community via special events, public talks & presentations, email
newsletters, and social media.• Creek and trail clean ups
Collaborators, Partners and Funding Sources:Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS)Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (UIUC)Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)/Walton Family FoundationCity of Bloomington, IllinoisWorld Wildlife FoundationPrivate landowners and producersIllinois State University (ISU)MonsantoDuPont -PioneerLumpkin Family FoundationIllinois State Water Survey (ISWS)AGREM LLC Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)Southern Illinois University (SIU)Ducks Unlimited (DU)Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS)Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS)Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA)United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)Kellogg Foundation; Mackinaw River Partnership