The author’s participation in the Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey proves an eye-opener. Counting trumpeter swans on their wintering grounds in Illinois is a worthwhile undertaking. The survey, as a general inventory of waterfowl species, serves as both an index to abundance and an indication of relative distribution in wintering habitat.
The thrill of fishing can come alive for many people on dry land thanks to Backyard Bass, a game that entails casting a fishing rod to catching colorful plastic fish. Offered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Urban and Community Fishing Program, this game provides a creative way to educate new anglers and engage people in fishing when access to natural water bodies is limited.
Learn what avian influenza virus (AIV) in general and on the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) in particular and check out this summary of preventive measures to help protect humans and pets from infection.
Battling bush honeysuckle on your property? Tired of the back-breaking work only to discover it is reappearing? Read their a first-hand account of their study on the effectiveness of a new way of tackling honeysuckle to restore your forested and woodland habitats.
The size of a pinky finger, the mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii) does not attract much notice. Declared an Illinois-endangered species in 2020, biologists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Natural History Survey and McHenry County Conservation District developed a strategy and began to restore mottled sculpins to School Springs Wetland.
Freshwater mussels are rebounding in the Illinois River. Thousands of native mussels representing 14 to 17 species have been found on the river in recent years, including multiple size classes of several species that indicate a healthy, recruiting population. The 2025 discovery of an Illinois-endangered species, the ebonyshell, is yet another hopeful sign that the Illinois River is bouncing back for more sensitive mussel species.
