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The Area at a Glance Six major streams originate in the area-the Embarras, Sangamon, Mackinaw, Kaskaskia, Vermilion, and Little Vermilion rivers -which together drain a third of the state. Segments of six Headwaters streams have been recognized by state scientists as Biologically Significant Streams because of the unusually varied life they support. The Middle Fork of the Vermilion River is the first Illinois river to
be included in the National Wild and Scenic River System. The Headwaters' streams support at least 92 species of fish, 144 species of mussels, and 16 species of large crustaceans. A surprising diversity of natural II communities can still be found in the Headwaters, including seven types of forest, five kinds of prairie, four types of savanna, plus seeps and cliffs. The region is home to 21 amphibian and 27 reptile species, the latter
including three state-listed species. About 260 bird species may be regularly found in the Headwaters, and about 160 species breed there. Few parts of Illinois are Las well suited as is the Headwaters to row crop agriculture. In recent decades, corn and bean yields in Champaign and Ford counties have led the state that leads the world. Champaigr and Ford counties are among the five Illinois counties with the highest percentage of their land in agriculture; 92% of their combined area is in agriculture. A survey conducted in the 1970s by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory found that top-quality remnants of presettlement ecosystems cover 251 acres0.023% of the total area of the Headwaters, which is significantly smaller than the state average. At settlement, 15% of the Headwaters was thought to be forest and almost all the rest was prairie (including savanna). Prairie and savanna remnants in the Headwaters are often less than one acre in size, making the plants and animals in them vulnerable to disease and in-breeding stress. Today forests of all types cover slightly more than 2% of total land area of the Headwaters compared to more than 11 % statewide. Even so, species composition remains relatively rich and includes rarities such as the false hellebore, a statelisted plant. The trees that do survive in the area tend to grow in blocks that are larger than 500 acres, generally considered the minimum size to provide viable breeding for forest birds. Scientists estimate that, in presettlement times, 40-45% of the land in Champaign and Ford counties was wetland, mostly wet prairie, prairie potholes and floodplain forest. Less than 1 % remains wetland of any type. Significant populations of all the songbirds common to this part of the world, from yellow-billed cuckoos to great crested flycatchers, can be found in the Headwaters, as well as endangered or threatened species such as sharp-shinned hawks, long-eared owls, and veeries. The Headwaters is a "population sink" for many bird species, meaning that more birds die in the region (mainly through nest predation and parasitism) than are born there. The populations are stable overall only because of migration into the Headwaters by birds born elsewhere. The region has been occupied by, humans more or less continuously for 12,000 years. More than 800 sites of Native American camps, villages, and burial grounds have been found here. The region's population density overall is only 3/5 that of the state average, but Champaign County has grown faster than the state as a whole, while Ford County has lost population. In 1993, government and services supplied more than half the employment and earnings in Champaign and Ford counties; farming accounted for only 2% of the workforce and 1 % of the earnings. Western Champaign County and most of Ford County are underlain by sand
and gravel aquifers that supply most of the water in the area. Just as modern agriculture has turned the best farmers into scientists, so the expanding field of ecological restoration is turning scientists into farmers. Private involvement in nature protection and restoration is a local tradition-several nature preserves are managed by private groups such as the Audubon Society and cemetery associations. |