Originally sculpted by glacial melt and retreat, the basins of Hennepin and Hopper lakes located just outside of Hennepin, Illinois, were once channels in the Illinois River. As the river meandered and crisscrossed in and around these basins, it created a diversity of bird and waterfowl habitat unique to this part of the country, including lakes, prairies, savannas, marshes, and wet meadows. In 1908, the 2,600-acre wetland was dramatically altered by farmers who leveed, ditched, tiled, and pumped dry the floodplain to sustain corn and soybean fields.

In 2001, the Wetlands Initiative reversed this destruction by turning off the pumps and beginning ecological restoration. Within months more than 1,000 acres of lakes reappeared, filled only by groundwater and precipitation. In the eight years since, wildlife populations have exploded at the site, with birds taking center stage. Only two hours from the Chicago region, the site is an educational and recreation resource to treasure.

News:

TWI and IDNR announce aquatic rehabilitation effort. (10/22/09)