Waterfowl habitat projects funded

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, has begun $3.8 million in waterfowl habitat improvement projects.

The projects are at IDNR sites and are made possible by sports men and women who purchase Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamps.

The Fiscal Year 2019 projects were reviewed and recommended by the State Duck Stamp Advisory Committee. The committee met on Nov. 29, 2018.

Some of the projects are being done in the Southern Illinois area, including:

Roth Crossing Wetland Construction, Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, Alexander County, $19,000: repair the unit to increase the proportion of flooded acres.

Bottomland Hardwood Enhancement, Cache River State Natural Area, $10,000: remove undesirable trees from an 80-acre tract to allow desirable tree species to thrive.

Bottomland Hardwood Enhancement, Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, $10,000: remove undesirable trees from approximately 10 acres to allow desirable tree species to thrive and to create openings for waterfowl and waterfowl hunters.

Moist-Soil Wetland Units Development, Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, $45,900: develop three small wetland units totaling 18 acres to replace crops and fallow areas, providing foraging habitat in the refuge area.

Compact Excavator and Trailer, Region 5, $57,000: Southern Illinois waterfowl sites total more than 40,000 acres and have numerous berms, levees and water control structures that need maintenance or replacement. The equipment will allow IDNR staff to complete many minor repairs in a timely fashion to avoid more costly repairs.

The funding also includes $100,000 for waterfowl site maintenance work to be done at wetland management sites statewide.