Greenways and waterways are havens in a congested landscape
BY SUSAN HOUFF TRUDEAU

Imagine yourself on a small but beautiful island. You are free to roam wherever you want, but you must stay on the island, because attempting to leave could mean dying of thirst or starvation, or being injured or killed by predators.

Illinois' natural areas are just such havens for its wildlife residents.

"Park districts and forest preserves are little green islands in a sea of concrete," says Leslie Berns, natural resources supervisor for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. "They're no different from an island in the middle of the ocean."

There's just one hitch.
"The plants and animals don't know if they're within the natural areas boundaries or not," Berns points out.

And while a misguided raccoon, skunk or deer is unlikely to cause harm to the human residents of our shared habitat, humans most definitely can cause harm to the animals. Of the more than 3,200 animals DuPage County's Willowbrook Wildlife Center took in last year, 267 animals had been injured by cars on county roads.

One of the best ways to protect our wildlife is to develop corridors connecting their homes to one another, allowing the animals more freedom to roam.

"The marshlands and woodlands of Illinois were once all connected—you didn't have a road or housing development fragmenting them," explains DuPage Forest Preserve District animal ecologist Dan Ludwig. "Something like a painted turtle could travel from river to pond without getting run over by a car."

Animals aren't the only open space dwellers that benefit from the preservation of corridors.

"Plants don't have the mobility of animals, but making the natural areas larger creates more of a buffer to protect them," says Scott Kobal, a DuPage Forest Preserve plant ecologist.

These buffers are important to much of the States rare plant life because of the manner through which their seeds are dispersed. Some seeds travel on the wind, or downstream through our waterways. Others are distributed by animal droppings. But a wildflower seed that ends up on a chemically treated lawn has virtually no chance to develop. The endangered Early Fen Sedge cannot survive if its wetland home is filled to make way for a shopping center.

It's not just an Illinois problem. Corridors for migratory birds and insects are becoming critically imperiled worldwide, as more and more land is converted to housing and industry. Songbird populations have decreased at an alarming rate nationwide as their winter homelands in the South American rain forests have been converted to cattle ranches and coffee plantations.

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SPECIAL FOCUS

Forest preserve districts, park districts and other open space agencies have worked hard to preserve corridors to ensure the continued health and well-being of the state's wildlife residents. For example, a corridor has been created along the West Branch of the DuPage River which runs nearly the entire distance between Mallard Lake in the northern part of DuPage County and McDowell Grove to the south.

Preservation of the West Branch corridor is important from both a biological and hydrological perspective.

"It preserves the floodplain and the plants that live there," Kobal explains. "Also, it helps prevent contaminants like road salt or agricultural chemicals from getting into the water. It serves as a buffer."

The corridor is a great place for wildlife, Ludwig says. "There's a major road running through there, and that's the river," he says. "A mink or a least weasel moving through the corridor has a fighting chance of finding a hospitable environment. Its more like running through the gauntlet in some areas."

Protecting the fragmented remnants of woodlands, prairie and wetlands becomes increasingly important as the county becomes more and more developed.

"Restoration is expensive," Berns explains. "Its better to protect the land to begin with."

Ludwig agrees: "The bottom line is, in a highly-urbanized area like northeastern Illinois, connecting what natural habitats exist is not a bad thing." 

SUSAN HOUFF TRUDEAU
is an environmental writer and photographer who contributes frequently to The DuPage Conservationist. She lives in central Illinois. This article originally appeared in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's quarterly publication The DuPage Conservationist. Photograph of Nashville Warbler on page 30 Susan Houff Trudeau.

Editor's Note
See page 47 for new funding opportunities for greenways and trails, offered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

30 ¦ Illinois Parks and Recreation