Conserving Illinois North Shore Ravines Rebecca Grill, Natural Areas Manager, Park District of Highland Park, rgrill@pdhp.org Jeff Boeckler, Principal Water Resource Specialist, Northwater Consulting, jeff@northwaterco.com Abigail Derby Lewis, Climate Change Ecologist, The Field Museum, aderby@fieldmuseum.org Linda Masters, Restoration Specialist, Openlands, lmasters@openlands.org Rachel Goad, Manager, Plants of Concern, rgoad@chicagobotanic.org Angela Larsen, Community Resilience Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes, alrasen@greatlakes.org
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.
Chicago Milwaukee Corridor
North Shore Ravines Water cut down through glacial moraines V shaped valleys Natural drainage to Lake Michigan Illinois State Geological Survey
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
Why should you care? Because most of us drink this water!
Why should you care? Lake Michigan serves 6.6 million people in Illinois. One of our nations great treasures at our front door.
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
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
Storm water issues Impervious surfaces direct flow into ravines, resulting in damaging erosion
Assessing Ravine Stability
Mapping Ravine Stability
Rapid Assessment Developed as a tool for landowners and managers to identify environmental challenges to ravines Quickly assess: Stability Macroinvertebrates Vegetation
Habitat degradation Ravine communities are threatened by: Erosion Removes soil and plant habitat Invasive species Alter habitat, crowd native species
Restoration Address storm water degradation of habitat Stabilize soil Introduce native species Hydrological modification to slow flow
Janes and Hutchinson Ravines
Janes and Hutchinson Ravines
Janes and Hutchinson Ravines After restoration: 81% increase in stability rank for Hutchins 1,200% increase in stability rank for Janes
Openlands Lakeshore Preserve Bartlett Ravine Restoration Removal of non native and some aggressive native plants
Expose the ground to sunlight
Reintroduce fire
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
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
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
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)
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
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
What You Can Do Inspire others to care about our Great Lakes http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/ The Living Great Lakes by Jerry Dennis The Great Lakes (Natural History) Wayne Grady Get students involved Ravine Education Program www.pdhp.org/hpravines
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 www.cityhpil.com Openlands Guide for Homeowners www.openlands.org
Volunteer for Citizen Science Plants of Concern 14 year old program in the Chicago region Volunteers collect rare plant data Informs restoration actions www.plantsofconcern.org
Volunteer for Citizen Science Northeastern Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP) Volunteers collect invasive plant data Data directs invasive removal projects niipp.net
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!
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
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
Questions?