Project to protect wildlife, endangered blackbird at Pingree Grove Forest Preserve underway
A habitat improvement project that will help protect wildlife like the endangered yellow-headed blackbird began Thursday at Pingree Grove Forest Preserve in Hampshire.
The long-planned wetland scrape project is intended to restore significant patches of open water that have been lost due to dense growth of invasive species like narrowleaf cattail, reed canary grass and common reed. As one of the largest wetland complexes managed by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, the 438-acre site is a vital resource for migratory waterfowl and marsh birds.
The project was first proposed during the district's 2017 Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement Referendum.
"We've been working toward it for a long time, due to its complexity and our desire to protect the species currently using the habitat as we seek to enhance it," district wildlife biologist Bill Graser said in a news release. "Staff spent several years working with regulatory agencies and contractors to acquire the pre-project data and permits necessary to get to this point."
A scrape is a technique used in river and wetland management that creates shallow areas in a body of water to mimic natural processes. Wetland scrapes help establish diverse habitat for not only waterfowl and marsh birds, but also turtles, amphibians and aquatic invertebrates.
Pingree Grove is a popular visiting spot for the yellow-headed blackbird, which is a summer resident in northern Illinois but a rare migrant in the rest of the state. The bird spends its winters from the southwestern United States through southern Mexico, leaving Illinois beginning in July and returning in late March.
According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the marsh bird was placed on the state endangered species list due to the drainage and development of its wetland habitat.
In preparation for the project, reed canary grass and common reed were chemically treated across the site. Work began Thursday to remove an obsolete berm and culvert where water enters the marsh near Illinois Route 20.
A small basin and riffle will be created to capture silt and stabilize the location where water enters the marsh. The contractor will also use long-reach equipment to remove dense cattail growth and substrate to a maximum depth of three feet across a two-acre area in the southern section of the marsh.
The project location was carefully selected to maximize the benefits of the habitat enhancement and minimize the potential impacts to wildlife that exist there, Graser added.
"The construction window was chosen because it is outside of the season when marsh birds are breeding, and before reptiles and amphibians are inactive and vulnerable in the cold season," he said. "Extensive marsh bird surveys and aquatic sampling for reptiles were conducted in and around the project area."
The project is estimated to be complete near the end of September. Graser and his team plan to continue monitoring the site after construction ends to learn what species utilize the enhanced area of the marsh.
• Jenny Whidden is a climate change and environment writer working with the Daily Herald through a partnership with Report For America supported by The Nature Conservancy. To help support her work with a tax-deductible donation, see dailyherald.com/rfa.