Remembered & re-meandered
Heraclitus wrote, "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
The Nippersink Creek in northern Illinois, a quietwater fan favorite, is a good example.
The "Nip" has always been a gem of an Illinois canoe trail. It is even more so today, as the Nippersink Canoe Base, near the confluence of the Nippersink and the Fox River, was recently transformed with a shelter, creek side fire pit, an enlarged boat landing and expansion of the fishing area, and a nature trail.
The river is a story of change. In the 1950s, local farmers called for straightening part of the creek into a nearly two-mile ditch to drain the wetlands for crops. In places, the ditch was 15 feet down from the top, according to Ed Collins, Natural Resource manager for the McHenry County Conservation District (MCCD). The result was a loss of scenic paddling miles, fish and wildlife habitat. My wife and I paddled the 15-foot-deep ditch a number of times and it was like paddling through a tunnel.
Then, in 1999, the Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with MCCD, filled in the high-walled ditch. Using aerial maps, they dug out the original 12,000-year-old winding creek bed and used the diggings to rebuild the glacial kames.
I was among the first to paddle the "re-meandered" creek, even while the giant backhoes and cranes were still straining under the last scoops of earth. It was amazing. The ditch had been turned into a winding creek that flowed gently through pristine prairies and wetlands, which added miles of paddling.
Reconnecting the stream to the upper flood plain along with the 2007 restoration of 113 acres of stream-side marsh at the canoe base has paid off. During the 2008 floods that devastated much of the Midwest and drenching rains this past spring, the Nippersink passed with flying colors.
"And 2008 was one of the biggest floods I've seen in 22 years; up there with the 1986 and 1993 floods," Collins said.
Now when the stream is overwhelmed by snowmelt and spring storms, the Nippersink overflows into the wetlands, which dissipates the flooding. The wetlands are acting once again as natural sponges and reservoirs to absorb and hold the surge of water. "It's really how flood plain systems have worked forever," Collins said.
In addition, the paddling season has been extended. On the old Nippersink, there were no wetlands along the stream feeding back water, so the headwaters would dry up in late July and August. Now its possible to float on upper portions of the creak most of the year, except in a drought.
I recently paddled the stream again after Mother Nature, the ultimate stream architect, added more bends, dips and landings. For me the mature, re-meandered river was love at first sight. The gentle, scenic creek corkscrews its way through the Glacial Park, widening at the meanders where occasionally I'd drift in kayak parabolas, dripping Olympic circles from my paddles as I zigzagged through twisty, what's-around-the-bend turns and bucolic countryside.
According to Collins, naturally functioning streams cut their outer banks and deposit sediment on their inner banks as the stream matures. The Nippersink, since the re-meandering, has changed in some places and not in others, behaving like a natural and wild stream should.
There's more good news. New species of fish have moved in, including brook silversides, quillback, central stoneroller, sucker mouth minnow, Johnny darter and freshwater drum. Apparently enough vegetation has taken root to bring the fish back. Surveys show both riffle and pool fish numbers are up and staying up.
Collins said four small 30- to 40-foot rapids were added to the stream to keep water levels stable and create habitat diversity. Channelized streams or ditches tend to deepen because of their straight runs. Man-made rapids were added to the re-meandered stream to prevent this.
The upper Nippersink is now a series of riffles and pools. The riffles act as a grade control. "Riffles set the height of the pool behind them, and then it will drop some; and then the next riffle will set a different level, and then it will drop some. It's a way of losing elevation without serious cutting," Collins said. The riffles also created a higher-oxygenated habitat for the riffle-favoring fish population.
From a canoeist's standpoint, the rapids add a little bit of excitement to an otherwise quietwater stream.
The Nippersink has become a research resource; a role model river for conservationists considering stream restoration elsewhere. The DuPage County Forest Preserve District consulted on the Nippersink before doing a re-meandering. And Loyola University is carrying out a long-term study examining how invertebrates are colonizing the stream.
"There are several other small projects. It's a pretty popular study area," Collins said.
Collins looks forward to future stream development, including restoration on other river sections in Glacier Park and a small re-meandering above the Wonder Lake Dam.
A 2007 World Wildlife Fund report lists 10 major rivers in the world that are dying. Germany's Danube has lost 80 percent of its wetlands, for example. So the rescue of the Nippersink is an exemplary demonstration project. Once man makes amends, Mother Nature will do the rest.
The Nippersink Canoe Base, reopened in September, allows boaters greater access to the river. I discovered a wonderful launch and take-out site with all the accouterments for a journey's end. It is situated in a beautiful oak and hickory grove with nature trails. At the opening, MCCD featured a historical re-enactment, which was attended by fisherman as well as boaters. The canoe base has expanded fishing access.
As the first boat off the new launch site, it was easy for me to understand what Heraclitus meant when he said, "No man steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river."
The Nippersink Creek in northern Illinois, a quietwater fan favorite, is a good example.
The "Nip" has always been a gem of an Illinois canoe trail. It is even more so today, as the Nippersink Canoe Base, near the confluence of the Nippersink and the Fox River, was recently transformed with a shelter, creek side fire pit, an enlarged boat landing and expansion of the fishing area, and a nature trail.
The river is a story of change. In the 1950s, local farmers called for straightening part of the creek into a nearly two-mile ditch to drain the wetlands for crops. In places, the ditch was 15 feet down from the top, according to Ed Collins, Natural Resource manager for the McHenry County Conservation District (MCCD). The result was a loss of scenic paddling miles, fish and wildlife habitat. My wife and I paddled the 15-foot-deep ditch a number of times and it was like paddling through a tunnel.
Then, in 1999, the Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with MCCD, filled in the high-walled ditch. Using aerial maps, they dug out the original 12,000-year-old winding creek bed and used the diggings to rebuild the glacial kames.
I was among the first to paddle the "re-meandered" creek, even while the giant backhoes and cranes were still straining under the last scoops of earth. It was amazing. The ditch had been turned into a winding creek that flowed gently through pristine prairies and wetlands, which added miles of paddling.
Reconnecting the stream to the upper flood plain along with the 2007 restoration of 113 acres of stream-side marsh at the canoe base has paid off. During the 2008 floods that devastated much of the Midwest and drenching rains this past spring, the Nippersink passed with flying colors.
"And 2008 was one of the biggest floods I've seen in 22 years; up there with the 1986 and 1993 floods," Collins said.
Now when the stream is overwhelmed by snowmelt and spring storms, the Nippersink overflows into the wetlands, which dissipates the flooding. The wetlands are acting once again as natural sponges and reservoirs to absorb and hold the surge of water. "It's really how flood plain systems have worked forever," Collins said.
In addition, the paddling season has been extended. On the old Nippersink, there were no wetlands along the stream feeding back water, so the headwaters would dry up in late July and August. Now its possible to float on upper portions of the creak most of the year, except in a drought.
I recently paddled the stream again after Mother Nature, the ultimate stream architect, added more bends, dips and landings. For me the mature, re-meandered river was love at first sight. The gentle, scenic creek corkscrews its way through the Glacial Park, widening at the meanders where occasionally I'd drift in kayak parabolas, dripping Olympic circles from my paddles as I zigzagged through twisty, what's-around-the-bend turns and bucolic countryside.
According to Collins, naturally functioning streams cut their outer banks and deposit sediment on their inner banks as the stream matures. The Nippersink, since the re-meandering, has changed in some places and not in others, behaving like a natural and wild stream should.
There's more good news. New species of fish have moved in, including brook silversides, quillback, central stoneroller, sucker mouth minnow, Johnny darter and freshwater drum. Apparently enough vegetation has taken root to bring the fish back. Surveys show both riffle and pool fish numbers are up and staying up.
Collins said four small 30- to 40-foot rapids were added to the stream to keep water levels stable and create habitat diversity. Channelized streams or ditches tend to deepen because of their straight runs. Man-made rapids were added to the re-meandered stream to prevent this.
The upper Nippersink is now a series of riffles and pools. The riffles act as a grade control. "Riffles set the height of the pool behind them, and then it will drop some; and then the next riffle will set a different level, and then it will drop some. It's a way of losing elevation without serious cutting," Collins said. The riffles also created a higher-oxygenated habitat for the riffle-favoring fish population.
From a canoeist's standpoint, the rapids add a little bit of excitement to an otherwise quietwater stream.
The Nippersink has become a research resource; a role model river for conservationists considering stream restoration elsewhere. The DuPage County Forest Preserve District consulted on the Nippersink before doing a re-meandering. And Loyola University is carrying out a long-term study examining how invertebrates are colonizing the stream.
"There are several other small projects. It's a pretty popular study area," Collins said.
Collins looks forward to future stream development, including restoration on other river sections in Glacier Park and a small re-meandering above the Wonder Lake Dam.
A 2007 World Wildlife Fund report lists 10 major rivers in the world that are dying. Germany's Danube has lost 80 percent of its wetlands, for example. So the rescue of the Nippersink is an exemplary demonstration project. Once man makes amends, Mother Nature will do the rest.
The Nippersink Canoe Base, reopened in September, allows boaters greater access to the river. I discovered a wonderful launch and take-out site with all the accouterments for a journey's end. It is situated in a beautiful oak and hickory grove with nature trails. At the opening, MCCD featured a historical re-enactment, which was attended by fisherman as well as boaters. The canoe base has expanded fishing access.
As the first boat off the new launch site, it was easy for me to understand what Heraclitus meant when he said, "No man steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river."