September2023
Sep 8, 2023
  • Wildlife
On the Lookout for Fishers in Illinois
by Laura Kammin

The day in mid-March started out like any other, until a Highway Department employee found something totally unexpected at the side of the road in Rockford. The discovery of a possible fisher (Pekania pennanti) warranted a call to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

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Sep 8, 2023
  • Land
  • Recreation
  • Research
  • Wildlife
Tracking Wild Turkey Hens in Illinois
by Jeff Hoover

To continue adding to our understanding of wild turkey ecology, behavior, and their response to forest management activities, Illinois Natural History Survey researchers are studying hen turkeys in western, central and south-central Illinois.

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Sep 8, 2023
  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Research
Si lo construyes, ¿vendrán? Observaciones iniciales de un arrecife artificial en el Lago Michigan.
by Hillary Glandon, C. Robin Mattheus

La erosión costera es un problema que ha afectado durante mucho tiempo las costas de los Grandes Lagos. La investigación a través del Programa Futuros Puertos Saludables (Healthy Port Futures) de la Iniciativa de Restauración de los Grandes Lagos está probando la efectividad de los Rompeolas Sumergidos, también conocidos como “Rubble Ridges.”

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Sep 8, 2023
  • Recreation
  • Wildlife
Definiendo el “éxito” en la cacería: Lecciones aprendidas por una cazadora de pavos primeriza
by Alex Davis

Para Alex Davis, las conexiones que uno hace durante la cacería se volvieron más claras mientras estaba sentada en un escondite durante su primera cacería de pavos en primavera. Sentada con una amiga y colega, aprendió valiosas lecciones, incluyendo la investigación y preparación para la cacería… y aprendió también a mantenerse quieta.

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Sep 8, 2023
  • Land
  • People
  • Wildlife
Una cálida bienvenida para los chorlitejos silbadores
by Patty Gillespie

El mejor escenario para criar a los jóvenes a menudo implica un esfuerzo comunitario, muchas personas trabajando juntas para proporcionar un entorno seguro. Esto se demostró notablemente en julio del 2023 cuando tres chorlitejos silbadores, una especie en peligro de extinción a nivel federal, fueron trasladados desde donde fueron criados en cautiverio hasta su lugar de liberación en Montrose Beach, Chicago.

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Welcome to the August 2023 edition of the online magazine OutdoorIllinois Journal, featuring timely, seasonally based stories about the Prairie State’s wildlife resources. We’ve prepared a variety of stories for you in this edition. Look for articles on mergansers, white-tailed deer and wood ducks; muskies, trout and bass; and bees, piping plovers, orchids and leadplant. Hear from researchers about their work on current issues. Explore Illinois’ nature preserves, waterfowl hunting areas and other places to visit.

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August2023
Aug 31, 2023
Rainbow Trout – A Fun Fishing Outing for the Family
by Kathy Andrews Wright

If you are looking for a fun outdoor family outing this fall, want the challenge of reeling in a good-fighting fish, or are interested in a tasty, freshly harvest meal, consider the 2023 Illinois fall catchable trout season. Nearly 60 sites around the state will be opening at 5 a.m. for the October 16 start of the season.

Aug 1, 2023
Gar: Fascinating Fossil Fish
by Frank Sladek

The gar is a fish unbothered by the low oxygen levels, warm water or weed-choked habitats that occur in late summer. A living fossil around since the age of dinosaurs, gars developed a poor reputation amongst anglers and disappeared from many Illinois waters. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Hatchery System is returning gar to Illinois waters.

Aug 1, 2023
2023-2024 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest
by Kaleigh Gabriel

A preview of the 2023-2024 Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations reveals updates to laws for furbearer hunting, trapping and nuisance removal as it pertains to dens, feed beds and nest and also reiterates single shot centerfire rifle regulations which we newly adopted as of January 2023.

Aug 1, 2023
Mono/Oligo/Polylecturing: A crash course into the pollen specialization of bees
by Josh Klostermann

Every August, one type of long-horned bee visits the ultraviolet blooms of ironweed along roadsides and in meadows. This pollen specialist represents one intimate relationship that exists between two distantly related organisms that have been dragged through time.

Aug 1, 2023
Student Anglers Take to the Water in Illinois Fishing Tournaments
by Kaleigh Gabriel

Across the United States, certainly in the state of Illinois, one particular high school sport and pastime is spawning with participation: bass fishing. Organizations such as the IHSA and ICASSTT are committed to providing opportunities for Illinois’ student anglers.

Aug 1, 2023
The Fascinating Relationship Between Flowers and Fungi
by Laura Kammin

It was the complicated relationship between orchids and their fungal associates that first captured the attention of Dr. Betsy Esselman. Read on to learn more about the symbiotic relationship between fungi and the Illinois endangered spring ladies’ tresses.

Aug 1, 2023
Defining Hunting “Success:” Lessons learned by a first-time turkey hunter
by Alex Davis

For Alex Davis, the connections one makes while hunting became clearer as she sat in a blind on her first-ever spring turkey hunt. Sitting with a friend and colleague, she learned valuable lessons, including researching and preparing for the hunt…and about sitting still.

Aug 1, 2023
Hunting Season Primer
by Steven Beltran

The fall season is an exciting time as it marks the beginning of the fall hunting seasons. Check out IDNR Sergeant Steven Beltran’s tips to make this hunting season a safe and productive one for young and old hunters alike.

Aug 1, 2023
COVID-19 and Wildlife: An interdisciplinary effort to disease surveillance in deer
by Joey He

Author Joey He, a member of the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory at the Illinois Natural History Survey, reflects on his experience assisting the USDA-WS sample Illinois wild white-tailed deer for SARS-CoV-2 during the 2022 Illinois firearm season.

Aug 1, 2023
A Warm Welcome Goes Out To Piping Plovers
by Patty Gillespie

The best scenario in raising young often involves a communal effort, many people working together to provide a safe environment. This proved remarkably apt in July 2023 when three federally endangered piping plovers were translocated from where they were raised in captivity to their release site at Montrose Beach, Chicago.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
Spring Ladies’ Tresses: An Emblem of the Resilience of Nature
by Laura Kammin

Within the boundaries of Pyramid State Recreation Area grows a small floral wonder—the state endangered spring ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes vernalis). That this delicate orchid was found on a reclaimed mine site is evidence of the resilience of nature.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
Leadplant—A Legume and Pollinator-friendly Native Shrub
by Robert J. Reber

Among the numerous prairie legumes that fix atmospheric nitrogen is the highly regarded leadplant (Amorpha canescens). With distinct leadened-colored leaves, this deep-rooted prairie species is frequently described as an indicator species for high-quality prairie remnants. It attracts a wide variety of insects, birds and other wildlife.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
  • Research
Students Study Invasive Bush Honeysuckle
by Addis Moore, Jacob Decker, Justin J. Shew

Two students at Lewis and Clark Community College conducted separate projects on the bush honeysuckle to try and help land managers, volunteer groups and agencies manage and monitor this invasive shrub. Read on to learn about their techniques and findings.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
  • Wildlife
When Hunting Season’s Over, Habitat Season Begins:
Part 2 – Woodland Habitat Management
by Wade Bloemer, Luke Garver

A great first step towards getting the most out of any wooded acreage is to work with a forester. After evaluation of the property, development of a plan will guide improvements beneficial to both the timber resource and a diversity of wildlife species.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
  • Recreation
  • Wildlife
A Burning Question About Bees
by Patty Gillespie

A landowner, Jim Gillespie, and a researcher, Brenna Decker, both wanted to know how native bee populations respond to land management strategies that include prescribed burns of varied timing. Assessing bee populations on a 150 acre restored prairie enlightened both the landowner and researcher.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Research
  • Wildlife
Starry Nights: A Story of Wildlife and Light Pollution
by Laura Kammin

How well we can see the stars is a bellwether of sorts. Along with blocking our view of the stars, light pollution from artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts many natural behaviors of plants and animals. Read on to learn about the ecological consequences of leaving the lights on.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Research
  • Wildlife
Are Nutria Established in Illinois?
by Derek Whipkey

Identifying the best method to detect nutria is the focus of an SIU-C research project. Information collected through sign surveys, camera traps, detection dogs and environmental DNA will help biologists better understand the potential distribution of nutria, and guide future management efforts.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Research
  • Wildlife
Debunking the Myth: Opossums Don’t Eat Ticks
by Cecilia Hennessy

Researchers have debunked a popular meme about Virginia opossums eating ticks. Careful analysis of opossum stomach contents (yes, the work of some researchers!) revealed many items, including worms, a French fry, broken glass and a shrew…but no ticks.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
  • Wildlife
Bobwhites in Illinois – Can Population Declines Be Reversed?
by John Cole

The northern bobwhite has experienced dramatic declines in abundance throughout their range. A multitude of partnership programs are working with landowners and farm operators to improve habitat conditions with the intent of reversing the downward bobwhite trend in the bobwhite population.

Aug 1, 2023
  • Land
Flatwood Forests Within the Southern Till Plain Natural Division in Illinois
by Patty Gillespie

The Southern Till Plain Natural Division in south-central Illinois contains a forest type known as a “flatwoods.” Characteristically, these oak-dominated communities are established upon soils derived from glacial till, wind-blown silt known as loess, and from deposits of former glacial lake plains.