Conserving Illinois North Shore Ravines

Transcription

1 Conserving Illinois North Shore Ravines Rebecca Grill, Natural Areas Manager, Park District of Highland Park, Jeff Boeckler, Principal Water Resource Specialist, Northwater Consulting, Abigail Derby Lewis, Climate Change Ecologist, The Field Museum, Linda Masters, Restoration Specialist, Openlands, Rachel Goad, Manager, Plants of Concern, Angela Larsen, Community Resilience Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes,

2 Conserving Illinois North Shore Ravines This is a story about connections between land and lake, people and the land. It is about caring for a place that is unlike any other in the state of Illinois. It is about protecting our nation s most precious natural resource: clean water and the Great Lakes.

3 Chicago Milwaukee Corridor

4 North Shore Ravines Water cut down through glacial moraines V shaped valleys Natural drainage to Lake Michigan Illinois State Geological Survey

5 Why do we care? Unique coastal habitat Illinois natural drainage system to Lake Michigan Home to: Rare and northern relic species Migratory and wetland dependent birds Remnant woodlands, wetlands, seeps Lake Michigan fish Creates a unique sense of place American beech Paper birch Red headed woodpecker Silver haired bat Buffalo berry

6 Why should you care? Because most of us drink this water!

7 Why should you care? Lake Michigan serves 6.6 million people in Illinois. One of our nations great treasures at our front door.

8 Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partnership Coalition of public, private, & non profit groups Build consensus for science based actions that focus resources for the benefit of local communities Priorities On the ground ravine restoration Climate adaptation Green infrastructure implementation

9 Initiatives Since 2010 the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has directed nearly $6 million to partner members to restore targeted ravine habitats. In addition to supporting members pursuing independent projects, the ecosystem partnership implements member prioritized projects to benefit multiple communities, organizations and agencies. Ravine Restoration Toolkit Illinois Coastal Management Plan Illinois Lake Michigan Implementation Plan Strategic Sub Watershed Identification Process (SSIP) Storm water issues Habitat degradation Climate change

10 Storm water issues Impervious surfaces direct flow into ravines, resulting in damaging erosion

11 Assessing Ravine Stability

12 Mapping Ravine Stability

13 Rapid Assessment Developed as a tool for landowners and managers to identify environmental challenges to ravines Quickly assess: Stability Macroinvertebrates Vegetation

14 Habitat degradation Ravine communities are threatened by: Erosion Removes soil and plant habitat Invasive species Alter habitat, crowd native species

15 Restoration Address storm water degradation of habitat Stabilize soil Introduce native species Hydrological modification to slow flow

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18 Janes and Hutchinson Ravines

19 Janes and Hutchinson Ravines

20 Janes and Hutchinson Ravines After restoration: 81% increase in stability rank for Hutchins 1,200% increase in stability rank for Janes

21 Openlands Lakeshore Preserve Bartlett Ravine Restoration Removal of non native and some aggressive native plants

22 Expose the ground to sunlight

23 Reintroduce fire

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26 Climate Impacts: Biodiversity Direct effects Temperature Precipitation Increased intensity of weather events Indirect effects Range shifts Predators/disease/invasives Timing of important annual cycle events

27 Climate Change and Ravines Increase temp: AIR Increase temp: WATER Increase soil freeze thaw cycles Increase drought stress Increase lake level variability Increase extreme storm events

28 Climate Change and Ravines Increase temp: AIR Increase temp: WATER Increase soil freeze thaw cycles Increase drought stress Increase lake level variability Increase extreme storm events

29 Increased Air Temperature Increased Changing temp thresholds Changing spatial distribution of temperature Loss of northern species due to changing temp thresholds Changing species composition Increased tree pests pathogens Increased invasive species Phenologic mismatch (e.g. food/insects not available when birds migrate)

30 More Extreme Rain Events Increased Flashiness Surface water flow Flooding Headward erosion Run off Increased inputs of nutrients, pollutants, sediments Increased frequency of channel forming events Scouring of aquatic habitats

31 Adaptation Actions 1. Collect data Water quality Plant communities 2. Habitat restoration Develop regional seed source exchange 3. Storm water mitigation Residential landscapes intercept rainwater Municipalities reduce impervious surfaces and slow rainfall

32 What You Can Do Inspire others to care about our Great Lakes The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis The Great Lakes (Natural History) Wayne Grady Get students involved Ravine Education Program

33 Residential Landowner Guides For landowners with ravines or adjoining uplands Simple introduction to sustainable management No previous knowledge required Highland Park Guide to Ravine Management Openlands Guide for Homeowners

34 Volunteer for Citizen Science Plants of Concern 14 year old program in the Chicago region Volunteers collect rare plant data Informs restoration actions

35 Volunteer for Citizen Science Northeastern Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP) Volunteers collect invasive plant data Data directs invasive removal projects niipp.net

36 Advocate For Better Storm Water Management Contact public officials Elected officials, natural resource commissions, natural resource managers, public works, storm water engineers Connect with advocacy groups League of Women Voters, garden clubs, community associations Work with your neighbors to make change!

37 Current Projects Restoration and Monitoring Rosewood Park Beach, Highland Park McCormick Ravine, Lake Forest Fort Sheridan Openlands Lakeshore Preserve Finalizing rapid assessment Climate adaptation implementation Upstream stormwater impacts Regional seed source Coastal Strike Team LCFPD

38 Thank you! Lake Michigan Watershed Ecosystem Partners Sustain our Great Lakes National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Great Lakes Integrated Science and Assessment Center (GLISA) Chicago Wilderness

39 Questions?