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Unfortunately, for centuries some wetlands, especially marshes and swamps, have had a bad image Such areas harbored dreaded diseases during pioneer times. Old World folklore told of the dark mystery of bogs. Who would want such a feature on their Illinois land? Water has also been intensely managed in the last 150 years. Illinoisans have extensively modified the environment to make water go where they wanted. Wetlands have been eliminated by drainage and filling. Rivers and streams have been rerouted, deepened, and dammed to suit human purposes.

Anyone with an inkling of interest in nature need only visit a marsh or a swamp on an April morning or evening to hear a remarkable concert of songbirds or frogs. Or you could don waders
in November to visit a cattail marsh and see a diversity of waterfowl. See Table 5.1 for information on the attributes of selected wetland wildlife species.

The term wetland has historically been defined in many ways, confusing scientists and the public alike. In 1979 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developed a classification system to describe all water habitats in the U.S. The system, classifying wetlands and deepwater habitats, was subsequently adopted by Illinois scientists.

Illinois water habitats are classified in three categories:

Rivers and streams-aquatic habitats contained within a channel with water that moves permanently or intermittently.


Lakes and reservoirs-permanent, deepwater impoundments and natural lakes greater than twenty acres in size.


Ponds, sedge meadows, marshes, forested wetlands, bogs, fens, and othe r shallow or small habitats-permanent or temporary wetlands partially or completely supporting aquatic plants; bodies of water that are twenty acres or smaller in size.
The terms wetland and aquatic habitat are used interchangeably in this chapter, with wetland being a generic term for water habitat. Sedge meadows generally are dominated by a mixture of sedge plants. These meadows are not permanently flooded but are located in areas of frequently damp soil conditions. Marshes may have permanent or seasonal water and usually contain both emergent (growing in and above the water) and submergent (growing under the water) herbaceous vegetation. Forested wetlands on Illinois lands are known by such names as swamps, floodplain forests, and bottoms. Most of our forested wetlands are composed of trees that can survive short, frequent periods of flooding, such as silver maple, cottonwood, and green ash. Southern Illinois, however, has a unique type of forested wetland composed of stands of baldcypress and water tupelo, which are noted for their ability to tolerate long periods of inundation.

While lake and river habitats are discussed in this chapter, the primary focus is smaller aquatic habitats that landowners can create and manage. Also addressed are the habitats flanking rivers and streams (riparian habitat), which landowners can significantly impact. Floodplain forests, which are also defined as wetlands due to their periodic inundation, are discussed briefly, but more specifics can be found in chapter 4.

Just as the face of Illinois grasslands has changed from native prairie to non-native pastures, golf courses, and hay fields, many of our state's original aquatic habitats have been replaced with human made substitutes. Marshes, temporary spring pools, swamps, and wet meadows have been replaced by fishing ponds, stormwater retention basins, and livestock watering holes. Many bodies of water exist in Illinois today, but they differ completely in size, depth, location, and biological character from our original wetlands.

When the pioneers arrived, they found the Illinois landscape dominated by vast expanses of tallgrass prairie interspersed with wet meadows and shallow water marshes. Settlers in southern Illinois and along the major rivers encountered forested wetlands. All of these "wet areas" were viewed as serious impediments to travel, agriculture, and human habitation. The wetlands also harbored disease, since they were reproduction sites for mosquitoes that carried malaria, referred to as "ague" by pioneers.

As Illinois land was being settled, ditches and then field tiles were used to drain the wetlands. When possible, wetlands were filled in. Many rivers and streams were also channelized, straightened, or flanked with levees. The levees severed many bottomland swamps and marshes from their natural water supplies, causing them to dry up.

The result of these activities has been a net loss of about 90% of our state's natural wetlands. Human-created lakes and ponds have helped ease the loss of the natural wetlands, but because they have not been made by nature, their biological diversity is, in most cases, greatly diminished from that of the seven million acres of natural wetlands that have vanished from Illinois lands.

Three factors continue to exert a negative influence on Illinois aquatic habitats and the wildlife that depend on them:

The quality of most of our existing aquatic habitats is poor.
The size and interspersion of our aquatic habitats are changing.
The overall amount of natural aquatic habitats continues to decrease.
Poor Quality

A number of factors contribute to the decreased quality of Illinois wetlands. Unbuffered runoff continues to deliver pollutants (sediment, chemicals, heavy metals, etc.) to many Illinois lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, marshes, and swamps. Pesticides have reduced numbers of plant and insect species, thus lessening food supplies for other wildlife. Sediment from croplands and construction sites is considered the number one threat to all types of wetlands. It muddies the water, creating an environment where many invertebrates cannot survive, thus diminishing life at the lower end of the food chain. Muddy water also makes it difficult for some aquatic predators-fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals-to see their prey. Murky conditions that limit sunlight retard or prevent the establishment and growth of many aquatic plants, which are needed both as food and as habitat for aquatic-dwelling animals.

The negative perceptions of wetlands held by many landowners and the resulting destruction of aquatic plants have also greatly reduced the quality of many of our wetlands. Most biologists define "quality" aquatic habitat as wetlands that support a full complement of interacting plants and animals. Plants provide food for wildlife, surfaces for invertebrates to attach to or lay eggs on, and cover for young fish and amphibians. And ironically, aquatic plants actually help make water clearer-a goal of many landowners. But many pond and lake owners like to see their water free of any aquatic plants, especially to aid fishing. Landowners who have created these fishing ponds have an opportunity to increase wetland diversity by encouraging more aquatic vegetation.

In some parts of Illinois lands, invasive exotic plant and animal species are destroying intact and productive wetland systems. Aggressive plant species such as the non-native purple loosestrife and the native common reed (phragmites) have created near-monocultures in some marshes, while the invasion of animals such as the grass carp and zebra mussel have reduced native species in various locations.

Changing Size and Interspersion

Fragmentation can be an issue with wetlands as it is with other habitat types. Certain wildlife, such as bitterns and some rails, need extensive acreages of cattail marsh to successfully reproduce. Large expanses of cattail marsh are uncommon on Illinois land today.

Wetland complexes forming a mosaic of deep and shallow pools within an area were also once common in Illinois. Such mosaics allowed for great wildlife diversity because there was a more diverse food supply and a variety of places to seek cover and raise young. If one wetland dried up, others nearby would still hold water and provide the habitat needed by tadpoles, young wood ducks, or herons. Today, individual aquatic habitats are often small and isolated.

Another factor in interspersion of wetlands is their proximity to other quality wildlife habitat. Most borrow-pit lakes along interstate highways, for example, have little wildlife value. They are typically nothing more than bowls of water surrounded by intensively farmed cropland, with little or no adjacent natural vegetation. Many wildlife species need water next to woodlands or grasslands to fulfill their living requirements.

Decreasing Amounts

A surprising number of the few natural wetlands remaining in Illinois still have no permanent protective status and could thus be drained or filled. Federal wetland regulations have slowed the destruction of natural wetlands, but these habitats are still disappearing. Sedimentation and urban sprawl are currently the two primary causes of wetland loss.

Sediment continues to fill many floodplain and upland wetlands. Though sedimentation is a natural process, human activities have greatly increased the amount and frequency of deposition and have disturbed the natural hydrologic cycles that flush sediments out of some wetlands. In a natural setting, some wetlands fill in and disappear while new ones are carved out. In today's landscape, the land is carefully controlled, often preventing the development of new wetlands. Illinois hunting property for sale.

Urban sprawl continues to overrun small wetlands that many people consider worthless. While permits are usually necessary before wetlands can be eliminated, many requests are ultimately approved. Federal regulations allow this by a process known as mitigation. Rules do require new wetlands to be created to replace any approved for destruction, but it is very difficult to create new wetlands that provide the same benefits natural wetlands offer. Thus, protection of existing wetlands, rather than destruction and replacement through mitigation, should be a high priority for all landowners. In some cases, degradation of natural wetlands is substantial, and active management, including manipulation of vegetation and water levels, is essential to restore suitable habitat for wildlife.

Temporary, ephemeral, and intermittent wetlands are also being lost in Illinois. These terms describe areas that hold shallow water only temporarily or that contain water in some years but not others, depending on precipitation and water-table levels. Throughout our state's history many citizens have questioned the value of these wetlands. These temporary wetlands are some of the most easily destroyed. With the advent of modern drainage methods, thousands of ephemeral wetlands have disappeared with little notice.

These types of wetlands, however, are some of the most important components of the landscape. Semi-aquatic animals such as salamanders, certain frogs, and some toads depend on shallow, fishless water to deposit their egg masses. Historically, these amphibians' life cycles have followed the seasonal rains that formed thousands of temporary spring ponds in Illinois forests and grasslands. Now they face reduced breeding habitat statewide because of the reduction of wetlands, especially the temporary ones.

Ephemeral wetlands are also critical habitat for migrating birds. The shallow waters and associated mudflats provide a banquet of invertebrates for hordes of shorebirds and waterfowl that feed in these habitats. The massive amount of food produced in temporary wetlands and mudflats plays a significant role in the life cycles of these birds, allowing them to complete their journeys to breeding or wintering grounds in a healthy condition. Most Illinois landowners, though, do not recognize the importance of temporary wetlands and thus continue to destroy them.

Illinois landowners can help wildlife that need aquatic habitats in three significant ways:

Create new marshes, swamps, ponds, ephemeral wetlands, and other aquatic habitats.
Protect and properly manage existing and newly created aquatic habitats.
Restore degraded wetlands.
If you have the opportunity to create new aquatic habitat on your property, read the section
on creating new wetland habitat for general information on types of habitats to establish, how to create optimal habitat, and where to get design assistance. Every reader, whether you are creating new habitat or maintaining or enhancing an existing wetland, should read "Protecting and Managing Wetland Habitat". Everyone should also read the upcoming section on management considerations.

The various factors that affect the suitability of wetlands for wildlife need to be addressed when you undertake a project to provide optimal habitat. When biologists create a management plan for a particular site, they think on two levels. The landscape perspective considers the relationship of a particular habitat site, or "patch," to the surrounding land uses and the regional or statewide landscape. The second perspective is management of the patch itself Management on both levels is detailed here. Chapter 2 provides further insight into these concepts.

Landscape-Level Management

Since wildlife don't recognize property boundaries like humans do, it is important to consider the bigger picture of how a particular site or tract of land works with the surrounding landscape to provide regional habitat. No field or piece of land exists in a void. The animals and plants in and around the site are affected by and interact with the surrounding landscape. The landscape-level considerations discussed here should always be evaluated in creating and managing wetland habitat.

Patch size and patch shape must both be considered. Small aquatic habitats can have value. A "frog pond" in a backyard can support a few species of wildlife and does playa role in the landscape. But if you have the opportunity to create a larger wetland, so much the better.

Linear patches of aquatic habitat are usually less desirable than unevenly shaped ones. Irregular edges often create varied habitat along the perimeters of wetlands, making niches in which different types of plants can establish. More diverse plant life can in turn attract and support a larger variety of wildlife. If you have an existing pond or marsh with symmetrical borders, you can take steps to vary the habitat. Creating peninsulas and coves, forming islands, and creating plant mosaics can increase the complexity of your wetland and its attractiveness to wildlife.

Connectivity and adjacent habitats are additional considerations. The proximity of a wetland to other types of habitat can greatly affect its value for wildlife. Can you add a second wetland near an existing one and connect the two with a corridor of grass or woody cover? Can you create a small marsh in a prairie planting, or develop some temporary shallow pools in an existing forest? Look at ways to integrate a proposed or existing wetland with other suitable habitat.

Because wetland health is so dependent on the water delivered from its watershed, proper watershed management is an important component of landscape-level management. Illinois land within an aquatic habitat's watershed should be managed to minimize or eliminate the runoff of sediments and chemical pollutants. This requires proper management of agricultural fields, commercial and industrial sites, and residential sites. For example, upland grass buffers help control runoff and add nesting cover.

Most wetland Illinois landowners own only part of the land that comprises a watershed. It is important to try to make your concerns known to the other landowners within the watershed and to offer solutions to help prevent erosion and pollution.

Patch-Level Management

Once you have evaluated landscape-level considerations, you need to determine the management of the site or field itself. A wetland community is more than just water and a few cattails. It is an entire system of invertebrates, plants, and vertebrate wildlife in various layers of the habitat, specifically adapted to the aquatic environment's characteristics (calm, deep water, flowing water, etc.). Four management criteria need to be considered on any wetland site. If the minimum standards haven't been met on anyone of the four, the wetland will not provide optimal habitat for wildlife. The four criteria are these:

Prevention of or appropriate application of disturbance
Plant-species diversity
Successional stage
Structural components
Disturbance

Some disturbances can be useful management tools when applied appropriately; others are negative any time they occur. Aspects of three disturbances commonly used in managing Illinois wetland habitats (tillage, cutting, and burning) are outlined here; their appropriate application is detailed in the practices section of this chapter. The other disturbances described are common problems in Illinois wetlands, and each must be controlled or eliminated to ensure suitable habitat for Illinois wildlife.

Tillage is particularly relevant to temporary and seasonal shallow wetlands. Tillage can have useful application in wetlands, but if a wetland has desirable established aquatic plants, tilling will often damage or destroy them. Tilling should be done only for a specific purpose, such as removing woody seedlings, or to promote the germination of annual moist-soil plants, as prescribed in "Wetland Protection with Moist-Soil Management".

Cutting to remove invading trees and shrubs in cattail marshes, sedge meadows, and other wetlands can be useful, but indiscriminate removal without a specific objective can disturb a wetland's integrity, especially by eliminating nesting and perching sites used by wildlife. Cut woody vegetation only for specific management objectives.

Burning can be another valuable management tool, but it should be done only at certain times. Untimely burning can destroy vegetation, wildlife nests, and animals themselves. Conduct burning only as recommended in "Wetland Protection with Prescribed Burning".

A number of other disturbances must always be controlled or eliminated. For example, livestock grazing and watering might seem to be an acceptable disturbance; after all, many types of wildlife, including large-hooved animals like white-tailed deer, come to drink at the water's edge. The problem, however, with domestic animals' using ponds, creeks, and marshes as water sources is the frequency of use and the large numbers of animals that congregate at the site.

Livestock can cause two types of problems: First, the animals' continual movement in and out of the drinking area tramples vegetation on land, leaving the soil bare and free to wash into the wetland. And over time the soil becomes compacted, making it much more difficult to establish new plants. Trampling also destroys aquatic plants either by crushing them outright or by exposing their tubers and roots. The second problem is that the excrement from livestock increases organic matter and nutrient load in the water. The effects are outlined in the upcoming paragraph on pollution.

If an aquatic habitat must be used for livestock watering, limit their access to one small area, just enough that they can get a drink. Even better, fence off the wetland and provide a water source else where on your property.

Erosion and sedimentation spell the eventual death of any body of water. Imagine scuba diving in a silted lake, where every kick of a fin or move of a hand stirs up a cloud of silt that blocks all visibility. This is the underwater environment that results from sedimentation. Fish, frogs, turtles, crayfish-aquatic inhabitants have a tough time navigating and searching for food in this pea-soup habitat. Although some species do tolerate silty water, research has shown that clear water supports more fish than silty water.

Preventing sedimentation seems like a simple concept-just protect the wetland's watershed. But implementing protective measures is usually complicated. Economic, political, arid philosophical forces, rather than solely conservation ones, drive the land-management decisions in watersheds. If an entire watershed lies within an individuallandholding, preventing sedimentation may be easier. But most ponds, rivers, marshes, and other wetlands have large watersheds, with intensively used Illinois land, making it difficult to eliminate all sources of erosion. Nonetheless, landowners who have wetlands on their property should take every step possible to ensure that erosion is eliminated or substantially reduced. Actions may include installing terraces, practicing contour farming, and minimizing or eliminating tillage on erodible land; growing permanent perennial cover on steep hillsides; protecting riparian habitat (the zone flanking rivers and streams); and installing filter strips.

Pollution has effects on wildlife populations that are yet unknown, but we do know enough to say that many pollutants-certain herbicides and insecticides, heavy metals, sewage effluent-often do real harm to aquatic systems. Organic matter, livestock excrement, or raw sewage, for example, entering the water in large quantities depletes oxygen as it decomposes, which can result in a fish kill. The simultaneous death of numerous aquatic plants in a pond or marsh can also severely decrease the oxygen level, again possibly resulting in a fish kill. Crop and lawn herbicides can destroy aquatic plant beds and sometimes change water chemistry. Some insecticides eliminate aquatic insects, other invertebrates, and even fish. Some chemicals, including copper sulfate, which is widely used to control algal blooms in ponds, are highly toxic to invertebrates and even fish. And of course fish kills and mass elimination of invertebrates negatively affect birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife higher in the food chain. Pollution control should always be a top priority in wetland management.

Structural alteration of a wetland should be undertaken with great care. To minimize detrimental effects from construction involving excavation or filling or removing stream obstructions, consult guidelines available from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and other agencies. Some construction activities require permits.

Invasive exotic and aggressive native plants can severely reduce plant species diversity and are hard to eradicate once established. Purple loosestrife and reed canary grass are examples of species that have been promoted at one time or another as valuable wetland plants. Purple loosestrife is of Eurasian origin; the same is suspected of reed canary grass. Both species are very aggressive and form dense stands. Reed canary grass has been widely used for erosion control; however, native alternatives are available and preferred. Species such as common reed, also known as phragmites, which has been widely used in strip mine reclamation, can choke out most other plants to form a monoculture. Phragmites is native to Illinois lands; however, some suspect that introduced cultivars may have helped create the aggressive plants we see today. In situations where a landowner is trying to promote a diversity of emergent aquatic vegetation, cattails can be aggressive and reduce or eliminate populations of other plants. If you need to revegemte a wetland because a naturally occurring seed source is lacking, use locally adapted native aquatic plants. Avoid using aggressive plants like reed canary grass around the edges of the wetland or on dikes or levees. Reed canary grass should not be used as a filter strip plant; better choices exist, such as switchgrass and big bluestem.

Invasion of wetlands by exotic species creates problems. Some aggressive exotic species, such as the common carp, can overrun a lake or pond and degrade the aquatic habitat by rooting in the bottom. This causes silt to suspend in the water, reducing light penetration. Plant growth is reduced, and sight feeders like bass and bluegill are hindered in finding food. Carp can also destroy the nests of other native fish and compete intensely for food resources.

Within the corn-and-soybean farmland of Champaign County exists an oasis - what appears toi be a classic prairie pothole. The hole is ringed with cattail, pickerel weed, and arrowhead. In the shadows, a heron waits silently for a meal. Turtles sun on vegetation hummocks. The area is alive with the calls of birds and frogs.

Large populations of certain native species can likewise cause problems in small closed systems, such as ponds. For example, native turtles like the red-eared slider and the painted turtle feed on aquatic plants, and if they're too numerous in a small area, they will completely eliminate these plants. Don't introduce new animals into an existing system unless you are certain of the impact they will have.

Don Koeberlein

Within the corn-and-soybean farmland of Champaign County exists an oasis - what appears toi be a classic prairie pothole. The hole is ringed with cattail, pickerel weed, and arrowhead. In the shadows, a heron waits silently for a meal. Turtles sun on vegetation hummocks. The area is alive with the calls of birds and frogs.

This is no natural pothole, however, but a wetland created by Don Koeberlein. Don and his brother farm 1,5000 acres in southern Champaign County. During the late 1980s, a University of Illinois study was comparing nitrate levels in tile drainage water to those in water passing through wetlands. Don figured his land would suit the study well because the topography allowed wetland construction. And he was in the tiling business, so he had all of the equipment for a do-it-yourself project. Within on year, Don created eleven different wetlands, berming areas adjacent to a stream to form small basins. The tile drainage water then would run from the field through the wetlands before it entered the stream.

To most people undertaking such a project, moving acres of soil would have been the hardest part of the job, but Don found “playing in the dirt” easy. For an outdoorsman and hands-on person, doing all the paperwork was the most taxing task. The project required seven permits that took four months to obtain. Before he could start, an archeological survey had to be done. Cost-share money from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Farm Service Agency helped with the expenses, and Pheasants Forever provided some of the seed and trees.

Don knows there are many ways to build a wetland and that the results are not always satisfactory. He stresses that a site must be irregular, or have a high edge-to-area ratio, to provide habitat variety. He concedes that he overbuilt his dams and believes they would look better if they were only 2-1/2 feet high. Don merely has to look around however, to know that his wetlands are successful. “I can’t get over how much nature has spontaneously grown, once I provided it the right condition,” says Don.

Don’s neighbors were hesitant about his project. They wondered if the created wetlands would affect their production or imply that too many pesticides were being put on the field. Even his parents were skeptical - until they saw the results. Before Don built his wetlands, nitrate levels were higher in his tile water than in the stream. Today, the drainage water flowing through his constructed wetlands has significantly lower nitrate than those in the stream.

Don even finds himself advising his tiling customers to put in wetlands to intercept tile flow. While he realizes that tile is necessary to drain land, he also knows that it can cause problems.

What has seeing more wildlife meant to Don? “The beauty I only saw in crops I now see in nature,” he replies. Buy Illinois hunting farms and property.

One question Don hears often is “What about mosquitoes?” His answer is simple: “You put nature in balance and it will work out.”

Plant-Species Diversity

The more plant diversity there is in a wetland system, the more types of wildlife it will support. Different types of wetlands contain vastly different plant communities. Shallow marshes, for example, may have large populations of both submerged and emergent herbaceous vegetation. These plants form different micro-habitats; the underwater plants may provide habitat for aquatic insects and tadpoles while the emergents provide habitat for various bird species. Swamps, on the other hand, are dominated by trees and other woody vegetation, although they also contain their own unique assemblage of herbaceous plants. Every aquatic system, including deepwater lakes and ponds, should have as diverse an aquatic plant community as possible. The more diverse a plant community is, the more likely it is to withstand disease, pollution, water fluctuations, and pressure from wildlife feeding.

If you are reconstructing or restoring a wetland, should you seed or plant wetland plants? Opinions vary, and many factors are involved. Are seeds of desired species on the site in an existing seed bank, or is there a wetland nearby that can serve as a natural seed source? Seeding can also occur from far-distant wetlands almost immediately. Seeds can be carried some distance by water. Waterfowl also will bring in some seeds from distant wetlands on their feathers and feet and in their feces. Perhaps a little patience is in order. Wait a couple of years and see what germinates or moves in naturally. In any event, it's a good idea to get the advice of someone who has had experience in wetland reconstruction or restoration in your locality. If the wetland is smaller than five acres, with no other wetland within half a mile of the site, plan a balanced mix of at least five different species of wetland plants from at least three of the following groups: cattails, grasses, sedges, rushes, bullrushes, and broadleaves. Area coverage by emergent plants may range from a minimum 10% to fully 100% of the wetland.

For individual sites larger than five acres or where there is more than one wetland available for management, a portion of a large individual wetland or one wetland in a complex can be composed of a single species, such as cattails or cordgrass, if the objective is to manage for specific wildlife that use these large single-species stands. Any remaining wetland not in the monoculture should be planned with the minimum standards for wetlands smaller than five acres.

For optimal habitat on any size wetland, at least twenty different species of wetland plants from at least three of the groups just listed should be present. In addition, optimal habitat for wildlife diversity is obtained when area coverage by wetland plants is between 35% and 65%, with the remainder being open water. Following this guideline not only creates a good mosaic of habitat from the mixture of emergents and open water but also ensures some permanent water to allow the establishment of submerged plants.

Successional Stage

While it may not be apparent to the human eye, many wetland systems do age. Lakes and deep ponds advance through successional stages. As sediments and organic matter continue to fill in the bottoms of these aquatic systems, over time they often succeed to shallower habitats. Marshes and other shallow wetlands also go through successional stages. Certain conditions can cause a more rapid change to occur in a wetland. For example, a forested floodplain wetland may experience a severe, prolonged flood that kills many of the mature trees. In just a couple of years this wetland will revert to an early successional stage. Likewise, an upland marsh that experiences prolonged drought may succeed from herbaceous plants to woody cover, and without natural or human-directed disturbances it might eventually become a forested wetland habitat. As humans alter natural hydrologic regimes, some aquatic habitats may advance through succession more rapidly. For example, the natural flushing action of flooding may be reduced, thus allowing sediments to fill a wetland more rapidly and causing faster succession.

Rivers and streams also age in a sense. The older some rivers and streams become and the more sediment and organic matter they accumulate, the more they meander, cutting successively wider channels. A broader channel and floodplain is formed, and new wetlands may be formed when side channels are cut off from the main channel.

Aquatic systems of different successional stages attract different types of wildlife. For example, mudflats and shallow wetlands with annual moist-soil plants, which represent an early successional stage, attract a variety of shorebirds. Many of these same birds are not found in mature wetlands with established emergent vegetation; different wading species would appear instead.

Successional stage can be controlled better in some types of wetlands than in others. Humans have tried to control the succession of rivers and streams by keeping them from changing course, but time has proven that nature often dictates the final outcome. Controlling or retarding succession in other aquatic habitats can be done by a variety of methods, such as reducing the accumulation of sediments and organic matter with proper watershed management. Artificial water-control structures can help manage the successional stage of plant communities in shallow wetlands.

Here are guidelines for providing adequate habitat: One successional stage may be maintained on individual shallow wetlands smaller than five acres. More stages can be provided if desired. Ponds smaller than five acres, however, should have some portion in moist-soil or shallow emergent habitat, in a bay or along a shallow sloping edge. A deepwater pond, without other variation in the terrain, often doesn't provide suitable wetland wildlife habitat.

For wetlands larger than five acres or small wetlands that are part of a larger complex, maintain or create at least two successional stages over the entire wetland area. For example, a portion can be maintained with shallow permanent water with a variety of emergent plants, while the remaining acreage can be used as moist-soil wetland. Illinois hunting land for sale.

Structural Components

Logs, rocks, snags, and physical features such as islands can all be important structural components in aquatic habitats. Many wetlands contain one or more of these components naturally. If not, you should add some.

Most wetlands that have woody cover in or around them contain partially or fully submerged logs and branches. These logs provide cover, feeding sites, and spawning sites for many vertebrate wildlife species, such as frogs, young fish, and turtles. They also provide valuable substrate to which invertebrates can attach themselves. Some wetlands, such as those along creeks and rivers, also contain rocks, which serve a similar purpose to logs.

Snags and den trees can provide valuable nesting sites for wood ducks, prothonotary warblers, and other cavity nesters. Open tree branches can provide perch sites for fish-eating birds like osprey and kingfishers and insect eaters like swallows and flycatchers.

Islands add great diversity to aquatic habitats. Islands can provide safe nesting sites for many wildlife species. They can be especially important in ponds because they vary the terrain and thus diversify the available habitat. A greater variety of structural components in a wetland will attract more types of wildlife. Chapter 7 discusses the use of these structural components in more detail. Minimal standards for creating adequate wildlife habitat include the following: Provide or maintain at least five structural features per acre of aquatic habitat. At least three should be logs in or along the edges of the water, and at least one should be a perch site. For optimum habitat, more components (as many as ten per acre) should be present.

Water. It’s one of the components most desired by landowners trying to improve wildlife habitat. A creek, a pond, or a marsh does add a different dimension to a piece of land. In fact, aquatic habitat can greatly increase the numbers of wildlife attracted to a property. Water not only provides a home for the countless wildlife species dependent on wetlands, but it also attracts many species that just come for a drink, a bath, or something to eat.


Compared to establishing a mature forest, creating a marsh or pond takes a relatively short time. A few wildlife species, especially birds, may come to use the wetland as soon as it starts holding water. A mature, fully functioning aquatic habitat does take a lot more time to develop, but proper planning will result in more rapid and successful establishment.

What sort of wetland habitat should you establish? Four types can be created by Illinois landowners:

Pond Establish impoundment to provide wetland habitat for wildlife and water deep enough for fish.
Marsh. Establish shallow water area and herbaceous vegetation to provide water and wetland wildlife habitat.
Swamp. Establish shallow water area and woody vegetation to provide water and wetland wildlife habitat.
Ephemeral wetland Establish sites to hold temporary or seasonal pools of water or mudflats (or both) for wildlife habitat.
The type of wetland you decide to establish will depend largely on soil type, site, and cost, but your specific wildlife objectives can determine your wetland creatioN if the physical and financial conditions will allow for the wetland of choice. First we'll discuss the physical factors that dictate a site's potential.

If your soil is permeable, such as sandy or gravelly soil, it's unlikely you can establish any permanent wetland. Constructing a pond or lake requires a natural ravine or depression that can be blocked off with a dam or dike. Simply "digging out" a pond or lake in flat earth is usually prohibitively expensive. But even building a small dam across a ravine can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Every site and situation are different, and contractors' prices vary, so it is advisable to get a preliminary idea of what you want and have a professional from the local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) look at your site.

A shallow wetland such as a marsh, swamp, or ephemeral wetland can be constructed by scraping out a depression or constructing a dike. The cost will depend on the existing topography and the amount of earth moving involved. In flat areas, a shallow water marsh can often be established by simply breaking a drain tile or plugging up a ditch. This is an inexpensive way to create a wetland, but be sure the site isn't subject to any legal drainage constraints such as restrictions against impeding, diverting, or draining water; check with the local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) first.

Once you've determined what is financially, physically, and legally possible for you and your land, you need to determine your objectives for creating an aquatic habitat. Are you interested in duck hunting? Are you a bird watcher wanting to attract a variety of shorebirds, waterfowl, and wading birds to your property? Or do you want to have a place to attract breeding frogs? Your goals can guide you in deciding what to create. Duck hunters and shorebird enthusiasts will want to create wetlands that they can drain at the proper time to create mudflats for foraging and to allow the germination of food plants for waterfowl. Shallow permanent waters will attract a variety of wading birds, such as herons and egrets, and aerial foragers such as swallows, chimney swifts, and martins. Shallow wetlands will also be used by mallards, blue-winged teal, and Canada geese in summer and by a variety of waterfowl during migration. Wood ducks prefer a wetland with a woody component, which is also attractive to certain woodland salamanders and frogs. Many frogs and salamanders need wetlands with minimal predator pressure for successful reproduction. A shallow wetland might be considered to attract a diversity of amphibians while still providing habitat for waterfowl.

If your land's topography and your budget allow, consider creating a "wetland complex." A mosaic of aquatic habitats in close proximity can be managed individually to create a broader array of habitat conditions. For example, you could have one or two shallow marshes with permanent water and many cattails, another marsh that is seasonally drained to create mudflats or moist-soil plants, and another marsh that is flanked with shrubs or trees. The more diversity you create, the greater the variety of wildlife you'll attract.

Designing a Wetland

This book provides only the basics about choosing a wetland design. Unless your project is small enough that you will construct it by hand, you should seek the advice and technical assistance of a professional. Usually, your county's NRCS can help you design an aquatic system. They can advise you on the suitability of your site, the estimated cost, and engineering specifics. It can be risky to hire a contractor to build a dam or move dirt without knowing your site's suitability for the project or the parameters of its watershed (and thus the amount of water that will be delivered to the pond or marsh). Seek professional assistance first.

Whatever type of wetland you develop, try to create varied habitat conditions through a mosaic of uneven surfaces in the wetland bed and around the edges. With a marsh or forested wetland, construct some portions of the site )Vith little depth to allow for frequent mudflat development. Other portions can be designed to promote emergent vegetation such as cattails, bulrush, and arrowheads. With ponds and deepwater habitats, try to construct some variability. Create islands or shallow areas during construction. Design the pond or lake so there are plenty of fingers with shallow bays.

Two feet or less of water that occasionally dries up will generally promote emergent plant growth. Two to four feet is usually needed for submerged plants to flourish. Creating gentle rather than steep slopes along the edge of the marsh, pond, or swamp will expose mudflats and foster moist-soil plant development during dry summer weather, even without a draw-down device.

Although flooding a forest to create a pond is sometimes done on Illinois land, it is not recommended. If a woodland must be destroyed to create a pond, leave some of the soon-to-be-dead trees standing in or at the edge of the pond to provide nesting and roosting cover for wildlife

Types of Plants and Structural Components

As discussed earlier in this chapter, seeding or planting a reconstructed or restored wetland may not be necessary, and it can be expensive. Ultimately, the landowner will have to decide whether costs are prohibitive. The types of plants you introduce or allow to grow in the wetland will depend on your objectives and on what is native and thus adapted to the area. A balanced combination of plants will provide more habitat diversity. For minimally suitable habitat for wildlife, follow the guidelines in the earlier section on plant-species diversity.

For example, if you have created a three-acre aquatic habitat with a variety of water depths, you could plant a 1/4-acre corner with hardwood species such as pin oak, green ash, swamp white oak, sycamore, and shellbark hickory. You could establish emergent species such as burread, wild-irises, arrowheads, and spatterdocks along another one or two acres. Let half an acre seasonally emerge as mudflats and sprout annual plants such as wild millet and smartweeds, and leave the remainder as deeper, open water. This is just one way to design the habitat; infinite combinations are possible.

Many herbaceous and woody plants will establish on their own when a new wetland is constructtld. However, some management may be needed, because willows and other less desirable species may invade and keep preferred species from colonizing. If you want to supplement the natural colonizers or create a specific wetland plant community, private nurseries can provide many species, either as rootstock, potted plants, or seed. Be sure to purchase plant materials grown or collected from the local native gene pool. You can collect seed and grow the plants yourself. Always obtain permission from a landowner to collect seed, and never take more than a quarter of the total available seeds from any source annually. Do not dig up and transplant wetland plants unless a landowner is planning to eliminate the plants and has given you permission to remove them.

Table 5.2 lists some of the common wetland plants that are beneficial to wildlife, are attractive, and are readily available from nurseries or by collecting seed.

Structural components are important to some wetland systems; follow the guidelines given earlier in this chapter. Introduce some logs and branches into the pond or marsh. Provide basking areas for turtles, dragonflies, and other species by placing some logs so they are only partially submerged. Submerge other logs and branches at various depths to provide underwater habitat for invertebrates, amphibians, and fish. Rocks may be placed in a similar fashion, some underwater and others exposed. If the wetland is in the open without any trees, install vertical structures as perching areas for a variety of birds, like swallows and kingfishers. Chapter 7 gives additional details on various structural components, such as islands.

Introducing Fish Into an Aquatic Habitat

Fish management is not covered in this book. Consult a fisheries biologist with the IDNR for more information. Remember, though, if you want to manage for amphibians, consider creating a fishless wetland. Many species, especially salamanders, cannot breed and survive in a pond that contains fish because the fish eat the eggs and young. Deer hunting land/property in Illinois.

Alternatives to Creating a Traditional Pond or Marsh

If a larger system proves financially or physically impossible, there is still the option to make some small "frog ponds." All you need is a shovel and some time (or money, to hire someone to do the work!). Small versions of the wetlands previously discussed can provide excellent wildlife benefits and add diversity to your property's habitat plan.

If your soil type is not suitable for holding water, artificial liners can be used with some success. This solution is usually prohibitively. expensive on a large scale but can be reasonable for backyard ponds. The most successful method for well-drained soils is to sandwich heavy-duty, rot-resistant plastic liners between slabs of a material called Agri-fabric, combining water-holding ability with protection from tears. Agri-Fabric may be diifcult to find; check with your local SWCD for information.

Three common wetland management activities are conducted in Illinois to improve or enhance habitat for wildlife: manipulating water levels for moist-soil plant growth or mudflat exposure, timed flooding of forested wetlands (also called “green-tree management”), and prescribed burning of wetland vegetation. Unlike other habitats, wetlands can provide high-quality habitat if they are simply protected and maintained, without any active management. All wetlands should be protected from any disturbance except' the three specified here and need to meet the minimum standards outlined in "Management Considerations" for plant-species diversity, successional stage, and structural components. All of these considerations together comprise a practice. If you remember the collective importance of all the criteria in a practice when managing your wetland, you can know you're providing suitable habitat for wildlife.

At a minimum, any existing or newly created pond, lake, marsh, swamp, wet meadow, or other wetland should be protected from detrimental disturbances such as pollution and dredging. If littering has previously occurred, remove the trash, such as empty containers and old tires, to improve the water quality.

Protection of the watershed is key to protecting any aquatic habitat from sedimentation. Avoid forest clearcutting, which significantly increases the runoff and the sediment load to the body of water. Clearcutting along the banks can raise the temperature of stream water, often causing a negative change in the ecosystem. Minimize or eliminate any unnecessary tillage in the watershed. If tilling must be done, use soil conservation techniques such as contour farming and "minimum tillage." Installing filter strips and riparian buffers can also greatly reduce the sediment load and pollution that would otherwise enter the wetland. Filter strips can be any type of grass that will stabilize the soil around the wetland and provide nesting cover. Fescue and reed canary grass are not recommended because they provide little additional value to wildlife and aggressively outcompete other wetland plants. Wetlands and ponds located in the middle of crop fields can greatly benefit from the establishment of filter strips without the sacrifice of much cropland. Filter strips in any location should be at least 50 feet wide; wider is even better. Consult the chapter on grasslands for speciesand planting specifics on grass filter strips.

Riparian buffers of trees and shrubs can also trap sediments and pollution and can stabilize banks that are eroding. Plant woody species that are suited to bottomland and moist habitats. The buffer strip should be at least 50 feet. wide; wider is better. Consult the chapter on woodlands and woody cover for specifics on species and planting.

Wetland Protection with Moist-Soil Management

In some wetlands, artificially manipulating water levels can create a mosaic of wetland types that attract a variety of wildlife. Water levels and vegetation can be managed to produce herbaceous plants, mudflats, and open water.

To create conditions favorable for moist-soil plants to grow, in the fall gradually flood the wetland with two to ten inches of water, and let remain over winter. Gradually dewater from ice-out until midsummer; this allows spring migrating birds to feed on invertebrates. The plant seeds will germinate during summer, once water is drained. Vary the flooding and dewatering times from year to year to encourage vigor and density of desired plants.

Biologists have found that food production for several wildlife species, including waterfowl, can be enhanced by duplicating the natural cycles of wet and dry periods that occur when lake or stream water levels fluctuate. Typically a marsh's water level is lowered during the late spring or early summer, allowing moist-soil plants to grow in the exposed mudflats. Tubers and seeds provided by the new plants are used by species like the mallard. Such water management encourages plants such as cattail, bulrush, ferns, common reed, and erect sedge. The drawdown also provides areas for birds to feed on invertebrates. In the fall, water levels are allowed to rise again several feet, inundating the mudflats and creating additional areas for migrating waterfowl to rest and feed. The timing, duration, and frequency of drawdowns are all important. Drawing down earlier may encourage certain plant species, while a later drawdown will help completely different ones. For specific information on the benefits of mudflats to wildlife and how to develop and maintain them, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Waterfowl Management Handbook in the suggested reading list.

Wetland Protection with Green- Tree Management

Green-tree management aims to mimic the natural flooding that occurs in some bottomland forests during dormancy. A great variety of wildlife benefit, including migrating waterfowl, birds of prey, bottomland songbirds, and reptiles and amphibians.

Flooding should begin gradually in late fall, when trees are fully dormant. Water levels should be maintained at a fairly stable depth of twelve to eighteen inches during winter. Before trees leaf out in the spring, a gradual drawdown should occur, over a period of at least two to three weeks. Try to match the drawdown period with the arrival of migrating waterfowl. Remember, you are trying to mimic what occurs naturally in some bottomland forests.

Stable water levels are desirable in midwinter because suspended nutrients usually peak about three months after flooding. Avoid rapid drawdowns. Gradual drawdowns prevent a high loss of nutrients, result in more stable wildlife habitat, increase invertebrate availability, and promote the long-term health of the system.

Do not flood the woodland every year, and rotate areas so they are flooded only every other year or less. Flooding can alter bottomland plant communities. Pin oaks and swamp white oaks tolerate extended flooding. Other bottomland trees and some wildflowers that inhabit bottomlands, such as bluebells, do not. Table 5.3 lists ten tree species that tolerate extended flooding. If you have questions about this practice, contact the IDNR.

Wetland Protection with Prescribed Burning

Introducing occasional fire during the late fall or early spring to a wetland that is artificially or naturally dry can greatly improve the structure and diversity of the vegetative community, thus improving the wetland for wildlife. Conduct a prescribed burn on emergent, herbaceous aquatic vegetation (cattails, sedges, grasses). Burn no more than a third to half of the vegetation in anyone year, and avoid the spring and fall waterfowl migrations and the summer nesting season. See Conducting Prescribed Burns in the suggested reading list for information on planning and conducting a safe prescribed burn.

Although, as discussed previously, planting or seeding in new plants may not be needed, sometimes you can improve existing aquatic habitat by introducing plants.

Plugs of wetland plants can be planted into the site. Seed may be planted or scattered; but most emergent plants need mudflats to sprout on, so don't scatter seed into the water. Plants and rootstocks may be planted right into the mud, even under water, provided the water isn't too deep for the plant.

Introducing plants or seeds after a site has dried up and been burned is a recommended method. The seedbed is exposed and easily planted once existing vegetation has been removed. Also, interseeding into a thick stand of cattails, cordgrass, or sedges will likely be unsuccessful, even if the above-ground portions of the plants have been temporarily eliminated through burning. The plants will return in the spring with vigor and quickly outcompete most plants you've tried to introduce. Plant only in areas with sparse vegetation.

Planting annual food plants such as millet or buckwheat to supplement natural moist-soil plants on mudflats is a common way to increase the abundance of food available for waterfowl in the fall. Be sure to concentrate on planting annuals, and do not plant non-native plants that are known to spread and cause problems to natural communities.

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