Learn more on the Friends of IL Nature Preserves Website Here.
Come celebrate the dedication of Heron Pond - Wildcat Bluff as an Illinois Nature Preserve!
The Cache River wetlands in southern Illinois represent the northernmost extent of North America’s vast Coastal Plain physiographic province. However, only ten percent of the original extent of the Cache River’s swamps and bottomland forests remain, and an even smaller fraction still resembles its historical condition.
For the diverse native species that call it home and the many people who have witnessed its splendor, Heron Pond hearkens back to the wilderness of the original Cache River swamps. Thanks to the efforts of local citizens, conservationists, and government agencies, this remarkable ecological legacy has been protected as an Illinois Nature Preserve since 1971.
We welcome you to celebrate 50 years of permanent protection for Heron Pond and its upland counterpart, Wildcat Bluff, on Saturday, April 9, 2022. This one-day event is hosted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in collaboration with the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Friends of the Cache River Watershed, and Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves. Event highlights include informational talks by pivotal figures in the acquisition, protection, and early management of this unique site; a juried art exhibit; and field tours of Heron Pond and Wildcat Bluff. Please join us for this celebration of our irreplaceable natural heritage!
Main Ceremony
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Join us for an outdoor ceremony at the Barkhausen Wetlands Center. Ecologists Max Hutchison, John Schwegman, and Andy West will speak about the early days of the Cache River, the acquisition of Heron Pond, and the original efforts to restore and manage the site’s swamps and bottomlands.
Presentation: Natural Areas Day at Heron Pond
(2:00 PM- 2:45 PM)
Watch a pre-recorded presentation by John Schwegman on the 1972 Natural Areas Day event that celebrated the then newly dedicated Heron Pond – Wildcat Bluff Nature Preserve. John will be available after the talk to answer questions from the audience. The recording will be made available online for later viewing.
Cache River Wetlands Documentary
(1:00-1:15 PM, 1:30-1:45 PM, 3:00-3:15 PM, 3:30-3:45 PM, 4:00-4:15 PM)
Site Interpreter Molie Oliver will introduce this 12-minute video on the history of the Cache River Wetlands.
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COVID Protocol
Attendance to this indoor event and other indoor displays may be capped in consideration of IDNR COVID protocols at the time of the event.
Partners
Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, a newly founded 501(c)(3) in support of nature preserves in the state of Illinois and non-profit Friends of the Cache Watershed collaborated on coordinating this event in support of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC) and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).
