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Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve
The Natural Land Institute is restoring prairies, woodlands and wetlands to this beautiful land west of Rockton along Raccoon Creek and the Rock and Pecatonica rivers. In the summer, blossoms of wild bergamot, sunflowers and gray-headed coneflower create a purple and yellow ocean of color stretching from the scenic bluff in the north to the rivers in the south. Wildlife species, including migrating waterfowl and songbirds, are returning in abundance. NLI purchased the 721-acre preserve in 2000 using a generous gift left to us in Carl Nygrens will. Directions:
2810 West Rockton Road
Rockton, IL 61072 Tel: (815)624-4143 Map It! From Rockford, take 251 North to Rockton Road exit, turn west toward Rockton, drive through Rockton. The preserve is two miles west of Rockton on the south side of Rockton Road. The first entrance is only open to the public for events and workdays. The second entrance (across from Hansberry Road) has an overlook structure with a spotting scope and is open during daylight hours.
For 51 years, members
and supporters of the Natural Land Institute have worked together to protect
the natural heritage of Partnerships on the
local, state and national levels were successful in guiding the early phases
of the Nygren Wetland Preserve restoration project.
Private donors were also a critical element in assuring the long term
success of restoration of native vegetation to the preserve.
Members of the Natural Land Institute play an essential role in
restoring and maintaining diverse ecosystems at the Nygren Wetland Preserve
where bald eagles, least bitterns and sandhill cranes can nest and raise
their young. Amphibians,
reptiles and aquatic life are returning to the land and to the backwaters
and streams. Benefits of the
restoration of the Nygren Wetland Preserve extend to our communities.
Hundreds of acres of functioning floodplain preserved in perpetuity store
large amounts of flood water during periods of high rainfall.
Wetlands increase our ability to maintain clean water for local
communities by filtering pollutants and excess nutrients out of the water.
Natural areas also increase the livability of our communities through
increased economic, aesthetic and recreational opportunities. With the help of
members and supporters, the Natural Land Institute will provide stewardship
for the Nygren Wetland Preserve so it continues to be a place where future
generations benefit from our collective vision. Area History
For thousands of years, the Nygren property was inhabited by indigenous people whose lives
depended on the richdiversity of plants and animals present in wetlands, forests, and prairies.
The land lay at the confluence of two wild rivers. Archeological research has revealed shell middens, or piles of the
remains of clam and mussel harvests, from the Rock and Pecatonica rivers.Research also shows remnants of serpentine,
conical, and turtle effigy
mounds built by indigenous people from prehistoric times. Other artifacts, including stone and flint tools, chert and charcoal,
reveal that the area was continuously used.
Claimed by the French, then the English, and finally transferred to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the area became part of the Northwest Territory. Sauk, Fox, Potowatomi, and Winnebago Indians at different times inhabited the land, but their claims to the land ended after the Black Hawk skirmishes of 1832. In 1836, Colonel William Talcott, commonly known as the founder of Rockton, Illinois, filed a land claim on the Nygren property with the United States government. William Talcott's son, Thomas, built a log cabin at the confluence of the Pecatonica and Rock rivers. After two years, he moved to higher ground in Rockton, having learned first hand of what we now refer to as annual, five, 20, and 100-year flood events. Thomas Talcott later served as a state senator from the Rockton area. In 1838 the Rockton mill race conceived by William Talcott was dug by hand. The Nygren land surely was used to produce lumber for the saw mill built along the mill race. As forests gave way to fields, a railroad was built across the lowlands of the Nygren property. The first train ran on the Racine and Mississippi Railroad line in 1856. The railway was officially abandoned, and track ties and structures were removed in the late 1970s. Some native plant species have survived on this property. Oak trees hundreds of years old have witnessed transition of land use by Indian people to use by present-day farmers.
Changes
in agricultural uses on the Nygren Preserve reflect changing agricultural
economics over the years. Each
effort has met with declining success given the unpredictable flooding of the
Rock and Pecatonica rivers and Raccoon Creek.
Dairy farming, which used the land for both pasture and crops, gave way
to raising beef cattle. Beef
production was later replaced by crop farming alone, with corn
and bean crops rotated throughout the fields. Utilizing the most up-to-date
techniques, landowners and managers added dikes, channels, and
terraces. The terrain was changed
to make it possible to remove
surface water as quickly as possible. The
most recent owners
intention was to convert the land from corn and soybean
production to sod farming and nursery uses.
In 1998, three events began to converge to make the Nygren Wetland Preserve project possible. First, the owner indicated his willingness to sell the property. Second, the Natural Resources Conservation Service determined that the land could be enrolled in the Wetland Reserve Program, which removes floodable lands from agricultural production. Finally, Carl and Myrna Nygren bequeathed their estate to the Natural Land Institute with the expressed purpose of protecting land in Winnebago County. Plant and Animal Diversity
The restoration project
at the Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve provides us the unique
opportunity to protect significant plant and animal diversity on a large
scale. Restoration of more than 700 acres of wetlands, prairies, forests and
savanna increases precious habitat for a broad array of plant and animal
species. It ensures that the genetic diversity of local species - some
threatened and endangered - will continue to thrive. Restoration of the land
by the Natural Land Institute has increased the habitat that red fox, bald
eagles, badgers, and other animal species depend upon for their survival. In
2004, we celebrated the hatch of a
sandhill crane chick, the first in our restored wetlands.
River
otters have returned to
the Raccoon Creek corridor, and in 2007 we found the first
Blandings turtle on a neighboring property just 100 yards outside our
boundary.
Short-eared
owls use the area as a resting point during migration.
American bittern, prothonotary warbler, bob white quail, marsh wrens, sora
rails, least bitterns and dickcissels are other exciting bird species at
the preserve.
Protection and Restoration
The
Natural Land Institute is embarking on one of the most exciting protection and
restoration initiatives in Illinois today. Few not-for-profit conservation
organizations in the country are undertaking projects of the scope and scale of
the 705-acre Carl and Myrna Nygren Wetland Preserve. The Institute is conducting
this project in a manner consistent with its 46-year mission of protecting
natural areas and biodiversity.
This
unique site will be a storehouse for local diversity of flora and fauna. The
Natural Land Institute will reintroduce native, locally collected plant species
from neighboring sites to establish crucial habitats and allow for the steady
return of diverse animal species.
For more than 40 years, much of the Nygren Wetland was pastured for cattle and tilled for corn and soybean production. Ditching, draining, berm building, and plowing reduced much of this once vast, historic wetland to fertile, arable farm ground. As a result, intense methods will be required to restore approximately 500 acres of the cultivated land to a vibrant, thriving, self-sustaining system. Extant natural communities will necessitate long-term stewardship and management to reverse serious degradation. The Natural Land Institute has taken great care in assembling a dynamic team of experts in the field of restoration ecology to undertake and implement this landscape scale project. Applied Ecological Services of Brodhead, Wisconsin, one of the finest restoration consultant companies in the country, has developed the restoration plan in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Services. The Wetlands Initiative is also a key partner in organizing this effort. We are receiving valuable recommendations for guiding restoration from our volunteer Science Advisory Committee of local scientists and experts in ecology, botany, ornithology, and landscape planning. Project Partners
Gordon
Eggers, trustee and past president of the Natural Land Institute wrote:
Partners working together on the local, state, and national levels
have helped the Natural Land Institute purchase are restore the 721-acre
Nygren Wetland Preserve:
Members, friends and supporters
who have contributed to the Natural Land Institute for 51 years
Atwood Foundation
Dr. Mark Carlson, Carlson Orthopedic Sports
support of final phase of the Raccoon Creek restoration
The Conservation Fund,
a national not-for-profit organization
Grand Victoria Foundation
Nora Family
to establish the trail named in Dianne Noras honor
Carl and Myrna Nygren
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
(Conservation 2000 Program and Open Lands Trust)
Natural Resource Conservation Service
(Wetland Reserve Program)
Sinnissippi Audubon Society
Smith Charitable Foundation
US Fish and Wildlife Service Project partners are extending benefits to people on the local, state, and national levels. When hundreds of acres of wetlands are preserved and allowed to perform their natural functions, they store large amounts of flood water during periods of high rainfall. Wetlands increase our ability to maintain clean water for the Hundreds of acres of natural land preserved in perpetuity will virtually guarantee that residents within the region - many in their own backyards - have remarkable wildlife viewing opportunities. Rockton and People recognize that living in proximity to natural places increases the quality of life. Vibrant plant and animal communities attract families who value open spaces with clean air and clean water. Residents also recognize the modest demands of natural areas; they do not require costly roads, electricity, and complex infrastructures. With wise planning and community support, economic development in the region will continue to flourish. Dr. Brian Anderson, in his capacity as Conservation 2000 Coordinator for the state of Illinois observed,
John F. Turner, president of The Conservation Fund, and former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said while touring the Nygren tract:
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