Governor’s Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System

The Biennial Governor’s Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System is occurring this October 1-3, 2013 in Peoria, IL at Four Points by Sheraton. The planners have sent us these exciting details to help us entice you to join us there:

On October 1, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will host the Illinois River Coordinating Council meeting which includes an open forum for public questions and comments.  Members of the Mississippi and Wabash-Ohio River Coordinating Councils will also be in attendance. Through a public dialogue, the Councils coordinate initiatives, projects, and funding to promote the ecological health of Illinois’ rivers.

Featured keynote conference speakers include Michael Reuter, The Nature Conservancy; James Baumgartner, Caterpillar, Inc.; Mike Doherty, Illinois Farm Bureau; Wendell Shauman, Shauman Farm; Dave Wethington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Ryan Burchett, Mississippi River Distilling Company. Speakers will touch on various topics addressing industry and conservation, Illinois in the global economy, the Great lakes & Mississippi River Interbasin Study, and working locally with river resources.

Concurrent sessions will address infrastructure needs and beneficial uses of sediment, local community and agricultural actions to protect river resources, watershed history, wildlife habitat, river science and more, offering perspectives on regional, national, and global impacts of the River system. These sessions are designed to present advancements in agricultural and environmental technologies; improve understanding of economic and societal benefits of healthy ecosystems; and recognize activities across Illinois through local community actions to restore the health of this globally important watershed.

To top things off, the Illinois Water Resources Center will not only be staffing an exhibit so you can stop by and talk water (perhaps collect our autographs), but we are also hosting a workshop to discuss the 2012 Drought. We’ll delve into the workshop more in weeks to come, but in the meantime, if you would like to learn more about the conference, or register, you can check out the event website here. Registration prices go up September 12, so make your plans soon. And remember, the conference is open to everyone and has plans for all interest levels, including conservation tours and a guided bus trip. 
 

Emerging Flame Retardant Contamination in Illinois Fish

Southern Illinois University professor Dr. Da Chen has studied flame retardant contamination all over the world. Thus, when he arrived in Carbondale this past August and confirmed that no such research had been done in Illinois rivers, he submitted a proposal to the Illinois Water Resources Center Annual Small Grants program to study levels of this contaminate in Illinois fish.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a group of chemicals added to everyday items like curtains, toasters, and car seats to reduce their flammability. They are also widely produced, and, Dr. Chen explains, most of them are not actually bound to the substances to which they’re added and so “a fraction may escape during production, use, disposal, and recycling [...] and enter the environment.” And, since some types of BFRs have shown environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxic potential, BFRs have “attracted mounting environmental and human health concerns.”  

“We are living in a world surrounded by flame retardant-treated consumer products,” writes Dr. Chen, “but we know so little about the consequence of massive usage of these man-made chemicals. I am interested in understanding their sources, fate, transport, environmental behavior, wildlife and human exposure, and associated impacts.”

Dr. Chen aims to do just that by partnering with the Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program (FCMP) in Illinois, which has been collecting fish all over the state for decades. Having years of data available means that not only can the change in BFR levels over time be measured but potential sources of contamination can also be identified. Dr. Chen and his lab plan to start analyzing samples collected by the FCMP this spring. Dr. Chen says he expects to find BFRs in the fish, since flame retardants are considered a global contaminant, but anticipates that the levels of contamination will depend on locations within rivers.

Dr. Chen’s research findings will be posted to IWRC’s website in April of 2014.

   

  

 

    

Rivers in Illinois History

Lately, I've been completely sucked in by Northwestern's Medill Reports. One of their recent stories highlighted the role the Chicago River has played in the rise of Chicago, beginning as a shallow stream in a swamp and becoming a busy shipping corridor. The full story is available here and well worth the read.    

But, it also reminded me of a great report sitting in IWRC's archives which chronicles the development of waterways all over Illinois. An Annotated Bibliography of Observations on Illinois Water Resources 1673 to 1850 was produced by history professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1966 and contains quotes for the early explorers of Illinois, like this observation of the Illinois River from Marquette:

"We have seen nothing like this river that we enter, as regards its fertility of soil, its prairies and woods; its cattle  [buffalo], elk, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beaver.  That on which we sailed is wide, deep, and still, for 65 leagues.  In the spring and during part   of the Summer there is only one portage of half a league  [at   Chicago]."