Number: 1998-05
WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a 30,000 acre National Wildlife Refuge on the Kankakee River in Indiana and Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the Grand Kankakee Marsh was once located in the Kankakee River watershed in Indiana and was one of the largest inland marshes in the world, comprising over 500,000 acres of wetlands and hardwood forest; and
WHEREAS, its unique location near Lake Michigan to the north, the tallgrass prairies to the west, and forests to the east once made the Marsh home to countless species, and its vast wetlands acreage made it an attraction for visitors from around the world in the 1800s who sought to hunt, fish, and enjoy other outdoor pursuits until it was converted to agricultural and other uses in the 1900s; and
WHEREAS, despite massive habitat loss and fragmentation, the Kankakee River landscape still contains remnants of prairie wetland, tallgrass and mesic prairie, oak savanna, forest lands, riparian woodland corridors, and other important habitat which means more of these associated habitats should be restored; and
WHEREAS, the Great Lakes states are part of a major international flyway for waterfowl and other birds, yet have sustained statewide wetlands habitat loss of, for example, up to 87 percent in Indiana and 85 percent in Illinois, which means wetlands in this flyway are strongly needed and should be restored; and
WHEREAS, the Marsh area is currently home to numerous sensitive species, including a migratory stopover site for up to 100 percent of the eastern population of sandhill cranes, so that restoration of habitat within the Marsh will benefit these and over 220 state-listed endangered, threatened, and list-candidate species that exist in the area and could keep others from being federally listed; and
WHEREAS, the restoration of wetlands would provide habitat for numerous species including several on the 1995 List of Migratory Nongame Birds of Management Concern in the United States, and would further prioritize the management area goals under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan to improve populations of migratory waterfowl; and
WHEREAS, restoration would help to reduce flooding, soil erosion, silt deposition and water pollution, and because of the area’s proximity to Chicago and other urban areas, would attract ecotourism dollars to an area in need of economic stimulation;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 19-22, 1998, in Alexandria, Virginia, supports the establishment of the Grand Kankakee Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.