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John James Audubon (1785 -1851) was perhaps the world's preeminent wildlife artist. During his travels of North America, he painted more than 1,000 species of birds in their natural habitats. Audubon's lifelong passion was the study of nature, and he spent countless hours afield studying birds, their habits and habitats. For much of his life, Audubon's home was in Henderson, Kentucky, where he worked unsuccessfully as a business man. Leaving behind his wife and two young sons, Audubon and a business partner set off in the winter of 1810-1811 to establish a business in St. Genevieve, Missouri. Waiting for the ice to break on the Mississippi River, they set up camp on the banks of the Cache River, in what is now southern Illinois. Journal entries from this time report rafts of black ducks, green-winged teal, shovelers, pintails and wood ducks, and document a country teeming with raccoon, cougar and wild turkey. Audubon returned to that area during the spring of 1811 to paint wildflowers and birds. "What few people realize is how incredibly supportive Audubon's wife Lucy was of his work," commented Kent Smith, director of art, Illinois State Museum. "He was totally focused on his art and birds, while she cared for their children and ran a school in their home. Not only was she responsible for supporting the family, she underwrote Audubon's expenses while he traveled." The Illinois State Museum Audubon collection On exhibit throughout the next year is a portion of the Illinois State Museums collection of Audubon prints. The estate of Judge R. Magoon Barnes gifted a collection of 97 Audubon prints to the Illinois State Museum in 1947. Judge Barnes was a member of the Illinois State Museum Board, editor of a magazine about birds, nests and eggs, and an avid collector of everything avifaunal. In viewing the exhibit during its run at the Southern Illinois Art Gallery, which is located at the Southern Illinois Artisans Shop and Visitors Center, people were quick to notice the striking portrait of Audubon on loan from the Museum of Science, Boston. The artist, G. P. A. Healy, met and painted Audubon while both were living in London. Healy later made his home in Chicago, painting several members of the Lincoln family and founding what has become The Art Institute of Chicago. Healy depicts Audubon in his frontier clothing, holding his Pennsylvania rifle and bandoleer, leaning in thoughtful repose against a decaying tree, trillium peeking from under the branches. The American wilderness was the rage of Europe, and Audubon used this wilderness persona to his advantage in generating curiosity, interest and sales. The prints in the display are of birds native to Illinois. Labels provide fascinating excerpts directly from Audubon's field diary, published as Ornithological Biographies, a companion publication to his art folio. "The journal entries are interesting from the standpoint of today's ornithologists," remarked Doug Stapleton, exhibition designer for the Illinois State Museum's November/December 2002 41
Chicago Gallery and co-author of the exhibition brochure. "Audubons observations were not scientific by our standards, nor were they necessarily impartial. They do provide a sense of drama about the setting the birds were found in, and include some spirited stories of his experiences." Each label also contains current information on the status of each species that was obtained from H. David Bohlen's book, The Birds of Illinois. Smith commented that, "One of the objectives of the exhibition is to show the meeting of the arts and natural history. Using mounted specimens that are in some instances near contemporaries of the prints brings a focus to the fact that Audubon actually saw these birds while in Illinois, and that some species are now rare, or have been lost altogether. For the show, we were able to clean and refurbish some 100-year old taxidermy mounts—like the Carolina parakeet, an extinct species, and the ivory-billed woodpecker, quite possibly extinct." Also on exhibit are books from two of Audubons contemporaries. Alexander Wilsons book, American Ornithology (1830), is remarkably different in style, with a single bird, usually the more colorful male, drawn without the benefit of detail brought by showing the bird's habits and habitat. In Jacob Henry Studer's book, The Birds of North America (1885 edition), the plates depict birds in their natural habitats, but the art lacks the artistic study of Audubons work. Studer's work was valued as one of the first readily available books to aid readers in bird identification. Two of the prints on display—the ivory-billed woodpecker and purple martin—are from the original printing of The Birds of America, dating from 1829 and hand-colored in London by Robert Havell and Sons. The other prints were produced by Julius Bien between 1858 and 1860 and are examples of the chromolithography printing process. Chromolithography was the latest color printing technology during the Civil War era; however, economic conditions of the rime greatly curtailed use of this technique. "Only in the last couple of years has chromolithography begun to receive the recognition it deserves," Smith explained. "Great skill and attention to detail were required of the printer to produce these images. These chromolithographs, which so closely approximate Audubon's original watercolors, are only now receiving the attention and appreciation they deserve."
KATHYANDREWS
42 Illinois Parks and Recreation
November/December 2002 43 Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick . . . . Deer hunters harvest more than just bucks and does
STORY BY P. J. PEREA
Deer hunters along the Illinois River might have experienced some rather unusual requests during visits to check stations the past few years. Researchers have been asking them to remove black-legged ticks from their harvested deer. Dr. Uriel Kitron, Dr. Roberto Cortinas and graduate students at the University of Illinois are working on a long-term regional project to monitor the expansion of the home range of the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, which also is known as the black-legged tick. This tick is infamously known for its ability to harbor and transmit the bacteria responsible for the development of Lyme Disease. While most of Illinois is considered to be in the minimal or low-risk category for this disease, expansion of the deer tick's territory will increase the risk of its occurrence. Lyme Disease was first detected in Illinois during the late 1980s in the northwest corner of the state. Since then, deer ticks have slowly expanded their range to the central part of the state. A faster expansion of the populations has been noted in the last 10 years. "Tick densities have been increasing in counties along the southern portion of the Illinois River, where the habitat is favorable," Kitron explained. Cortinas, a veterinarian and research assistant with the U of I Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, is developing an Illinois Lyme Disease risk assessment map. Cortinas is analyzing suitable habitats for ticks, based on soil types, bedrock and other environmental factors. "We hope to accurately predict the spread of the black-legged tick in Illinois," Cortinas said. For several years, he's been collecting ticks at deer check stations along the Illinois River during the first firearm deer season in areas within and outside his predicted range for the disease. Researchers have also employed a method of tick collection known as dragging. This is done by pulling a cloth over vegetation and examining ticks that grasp on to it. So far, Cortinas' range theories have held up well. Both doctors cited two major factors in the increase of the black-legged tick in Illinois: mild winters and more deer. Cortinas elaborated, "Deer used to be a limiting factor when they were rather sparse in Illinois, but now deer are abundant statewide. In addition, mild winters have allowed ticks to survive in far greater numbers. "The distribution of the black-legged tick is really patchy. There are a few small areas where the risk may be high, but overall the risk of catching Lyme Disease in Illinois is relatively low compared to states like Wisconsin, where it can be a major a health issue," he concluded. Tick prevention tips • Wear light-colored clothing so you can more easily see ticks. • Wear long sleeves, buttoned at the wrist, and long pants tucked into socks. • Walk in the center of trails to avoid brushing up against dense vegetation where ticks hide. • Avoid sitting directly on the ground— use a blanket or towel. • Conduct a tick check every few hours and even more frequently when in heavily infested areas. Visually check clothing and exposed skin, and do a final, full-body rick check at the end of the day. • Use an insect repellant containing permethrin. Lightly spray clothing and avoid direct contact with skin. • Remove ticks as soon as you detect them. Do not touch them directly—use tweezers or tissue. • Do not crush the insect. Place it in a disposable container. • Examine pets after walking in woods, and remove any attached ticks. Learn more about ticks by visiting the Center for Disease Control Web site: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme.
P.J. PEREA
ADELE HODDE
44 Illinois Parks and Recreation
Manning elected president of IAFWA
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Brent Manning was elected president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies at its fall meeting in Montana. Manning said he will encourage association members to place increased emphasis on youth education during his tenure. "Our culture is losing its connection to the natural world," Manning observed. "The need to educate young people about the natural resources of this land, while always important, is growing in significance every day. There are more than 70 million young people under age 18 who will lead our nation in the future, designing and determining tomorrows policies. The actions we undertake now will determine whether tomorrow's leaders will have the knowledge and skills they need to enhance the natural resources of this land for generations to come." The association was founded in 1902 by wildlife managers from just six states and now represents all 50 state fish and wildlife agencies, as well as the provincial and federal governments in Canada and Mexico. It presents a collective voice for wildlife management in North America. Manning is the longest-serving director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and its predecessor agency, the Department of Conservation, having held the post since April 1991. During his tenure, Illinois has acquired more than 85,000 acres of additional lands for recreation, including two of its largest parks; developed the largest land acquisition program in state history; created habitat restoration programs (Conservation 2000 and Illinois Rivers 2020/CREP) that have become national models; and created the Illinois Conservation Foundation, which has raised $15 million for DNR programs. Kirby Cottrell honored by IAFWA Kirby Cottrell, director of DNR's Office of Resource Conservation, was recognized during the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies annual meeting for his contributions to the Federal-State Aquaculture Drug Approval Partnership Project. For more than a decade, Cottrell has been instrumental in setting up the process to provide the Food and Drug Administration data for labeling drugs critically needed by the aquaculture industry for sport fish maintenance, food fish production and the culture and restoration of threatened and endangered species. Resources for landowners Want to learn more about managing your backyard wilderness? Information for landowners regarding the types of natural resource assistance available to them can be found on the Department of Natural Resources Web site http://dnr.state.il.us. From this page, click on financial assistance and scroll down the list of financial programs available. The Landowners Guide to Natural Resources Management Incentives is available at http://dnr.state.il.us/OREP/C2000/Incentives.htm. Newsbriefs • DNR's Greenways & Trails Program website recently won top honors from American Trails in the state agency website category (see http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/planning/index.htm). For more information about the organization, visit http://www.americantrails.org. • The deadline for the submission of applications for Special Fund Grant Programs administered through DNR has been extended. Applications will be accepted for the Illinois Habitat Fund, State Pheasant Fund and the Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Fund through Dec. 31, 2002. For an application or additional information, call 217.782.2602, e-mail specialfunds@dnrmail.state.il.us or view the Web site at http://dnr.state.il.us/grants/index.htm. • Workshops on Biodiversity, Wetlands and Biological Control: Purple Loosestrife a Case Study, sponsored by the Illinois Natural History Survey and DNR/ENTICE will be held Jan. 25 at Sand Ridge Nature Center in South Holland (Cook County) and Feb. 1 at Volo Bog State Natural Area near McHenry. Educators interested in these free workshops should contact Susan Post 217.333.4322 or e-mail spost@mail.inhs.uiuc.edu. • The Digest of Waterfowl Hunting Regulations 2002-03 is posted on the DNR Web site under the heading "publications" at http://dnr.state.il.us. November/December 2002 45 Snakehead fish banned in Illinois The Illinois Department of Natural Resources recently filed an emergency rule banning the importation, possession and release of snakehead fish in Illinois, declaring the snakehead an "injurious species" posing a threat to wildlife, aquatic life and habitat in the state. Illinois' action complements efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to impose a nationwide ban on importation and interstate transportation of snakeheads by adding the family of 28 snakehead species to the federal list of "injurious wildlife" under the Lacey Act. "The threat of the snakehead is significant, given its voracious appetite, its ability to live in or out of water virtually anywhere in the country and its potential for causing enormous damage to native fish and wildlife," DNR Director Brent Manning said. "To try to prevent the escape or release of snakeheads in Illinois, we are prohibiting possession of them, effective immediately." Illinois joins at least 13 other states which have banned possession of snakehead fish, and its emergency rule will be in place for 150 days while a permanent rule is being adopted. The emergency rule bans possession, propagation, buying, selling, bartering or transfer of snakehead species unless a permit is obtained from the DNR. The rule also bans the release of snakeheads. Violations are punishable by fines of up to $5,000. Snakehead species have been available in the U.S. as aquarium fish and in markets and restaurants for human consumption. The fish are long and cylindrical in shape, have enlarged scales on their heads, a large mouth and large, canine-like teeth. Its air breathing capability allows the snakehead to migrate on land from one body of water to another, endure low oxygen levels in water or under ice and survive transport to fish markets. For a complete text of the emergency rule, visit DNR's website at http://dnr.state.il.us/legal/805-emergency.htm. For more information on snakehead fish, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov/snakeheadfstotal.pdf. Largemouth bass virus update Tests conducted in Illinois in August found the presence of large mouth bass virus (LMBV) in three bodies of water, while tests at another location and at two state fish hatcheries found that the virus was not present. The tests, conducted as part of nationwide research into the virus, found fish testing positive in Channel Lake in McHenry County, Lake Michigan at North Point Marina in Lake County and at Lake Vermilion in Vermilion County. Fish tested negative at Skokie Lagoons in Cook County. At the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery in Mason County and Little Grassy Fish Hatchery in Williamson County, fingerling largemouth bass tested negative. "While we did find largemouth bass virus in three of the four lakes we tested this year, there have been no fish kills reported anywhere in Illinois attributed to the virus," said Mike Conlin, DNR fisheries chief. "Presence of the virus doesn't mean fish have the disease, or that they will get it in the future. Research indicates the virus is triggered by a combination of stress factors, including high water temperatures, low oxygen levels and frequent handling of the fish." LMBV was first noted in South Carolina in 1995 and has since been found in at least 15 other states. Scientists are unsure how it is transmitted and why it sometimes kills bass. Most fish carrying the virus appear normal. Once the virus is triggered, dying bass have trouble swimming. as the disease attacks their swim bladder. The virus does not affect warm-blooded animals, including humans. Fish with LMBV are safe to handle and to eat. Anglers can minimize the impact of the LMBV by handling bass as gently as possible; by draining water from bilge and live wells and by cleaning boats and trailers between fishing trips; by not moving fish or fish parts from one body of water to another; and by conducting bass tournaments during cooler weather, limiting stress caused by fishing pressure and low oxygen levels. Illinois will continue to test bass in 2003 as part of the nationwide research protocol regarding largemouth bass virus. 46 Illinois Parks and Recreation |
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