Illinois NLRS Program and Project Narratives

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning is developing a watershed-based plan for a 16-square-mile area in northeastern Illinois that drains to Indian Creek and the adjoining Fox River. The planning area spans eastern Kane and western DuPage counties and involves numerous planning partners, including the cities of Aurora and Batavia, counties of Kane and DuPage, the Fox River Study Group, the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, Fermilab, and the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District. The plan will be completed in early 2023. For more information, see engage.cmap.illinois.gov/indian-creek-watershed-based-plan.

For 20 years, the Fox River Study Group has worked to improve the health of the Fox River for the benefit of the nearly 1 million citizens in the Fox River Valley and the over 300,000 people whose drinking water comes from the river. In 2022, the group updated its 2015 Fox River Implementation Plan and successfully advocated for a relaunch of a multi-dam removal feasibility study. To reduce algae and improve oxygen conditions in the river, the 2022 Fox River Implementation Plan recommends combining further phosphorus reductions from wastewater inputs with dam removals. For more information, see foxriverstudygroup.org.

American Farmland Trust provided leadership for the Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed Partnership, comprised of 15 federal, state, and local government partners, agricultural trade associations, environmental groups, agricultural retailers, and a local university. The goal of the partnership is to increase the use of conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and phosphorus loss in the watershed.

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership is a non-profit member-based organization working collaboratively to encourage the adoption of sustainable and profitable production practices that improve soil health and restore local waters. By developing comprehensive programming, building a strong network of sustainable agriculture advocates, and sharing relevant research and resources, the partnership is committed to working together to support healthy soil, clean water, and profitable farms in Illinois. The organization invites conservation leaders to share their own conservation story by adding their pin to its new Conservation Story Map at ilsustainableag.org/conservation-story-map.

Updates on previously-reported NLRS programs and projects, such as the Advanced Conservation Drainage Training, Advanced Soil Health Training, and Soil Health and Conservation Drainage Specialist Network (Local Farmer-Led Networks), and Illinois Alphabet Soup Group, can be found at www.ilsustainableag.org.

New in 2022, an Illinois Ag Retailer Survey and data collection processes were planned to capture farm management with regards to agricultural practices recommended by the NLRS. This project is spearheaded by Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association, with support from many other agricultural organizations. The Illinois Ag Retailer Survey will replace the 4R Metrics Survey. The first data collection period was initiated in spring 2023.

The Rainscaping Education Program is a collaboration between University of Illinois Extension, Purdue University Extension, and community partners to provide training to communities interested in building rain gardens. From 2021-22, Illinois Extension offered seven events with 98 participants. As part of the curriculum, four demonstration rain gardens were built or renovated, one program taught hands-on maintenance, and 11 homeowners qualified for stipends to build residential rain gardens. Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension also taught 10 additional Illinois staff members how to host and teach the Rainscaping sessions. For more information, see iiseagrant.org/work/sustainable-community-planning/ programs-initiatives/purdue-rainscaping-education.

Working to promote awareness and education of the NLRS is key to helping ensure its goals are met. Offering a water testing initiative contest to Future Farmers of America chapters across the state not only helps build overall awareness but also helps the next generation of farmers and industry professionals examine the issues facing Illinois agriculture. This program was previously offered by the Illinois Corner Growers Association as Free Confidential Water Testing Program with Illinois Future Farmers of American and County Farm Bureaus. The program shifted focus toward this educational initiative in partnership with Illinois Soybean Association.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Local Technical Assistance Program supports communities in northeastern Illinois and aligns with the region’s current long-range plan — ON TO 2050 — and its principles of regional resilience, inclusive growth, and prioritized investment. Since 2012, the program has assisted communities in developing more than 200 projects with local governments, nonprofits, and intergovernmental organizations to address local issues at the intersection of transportation, land use, and housing, including the natural environment, economic growth, and community development. The program helps communities plan projects that build local capacity, engage marginalized groups, and connect local partners with implementing agencies and capital funding for infrastructure investments, including stormwater management. For more information, see www.cmap.illinois.gov/programs/lta.

The Nature Conservancy, TNC, in Illinois is engaged in working with partners on implementation and long-term water quality monitoring in the Mackinaw River watershed to understand how implementation of conservation practices affects water quality at multiple scales, and to gain insights related to outreach, practice delivery, and partnerships that can inform TNC and partner work on other programs and in priority watersheds. This work includes both critical edge-of-field practices – the design and efficacy of constructed wetlands to treat tile drainage water – and stacked infield and edge-of-field practices and their synergies for water quality. The TNC’s research provides hard data on practice design and efficiency of these farm bill conservation practices that address nutrients in tile drainage water. Key partners for the Mackinaw River watershed project include the McLean County Soil and Water Conservation District, McLean County Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Illinois State University. TNC has ongoing projects at the Franklin Research and Demonstration Farm in Lexington, and the Paired Watershed Study in the headwaters of the Mackinaw River. TNC also has con- ducted/hosted trainings on edge-of-field practices and, in 2021, published a roadmap for increasing the pace and scale of edge-of-field practice adoption and implementation. For more information, see www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/the-mackinaw-river-watershed.

Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association continues to work toward nutrient loss reduction to surface water supply reservoirs across central Illinois. In 2021–22, partnerships with the Sangamon County Soil and Water Conservation District and Springfield City Water, Light, and Power continued to track metrics and provide education and outreach to stakeholders in the Lake Springfield and Lake Decatur watersheds.