A U.S. Supreme Court decision last year stripping wetlands of most federal protections is drawing more attention to the threatened ecosystems, and what states can do in response.
The Nature Conservancy, an international non-profit that purchases and restores habitats, bought the Emiquon Nature Preserve in 2000, and began restoring the original wetlands.
Located in Fulton County, Emiquon had been completely drained in 1924 and was once the largest agricultural farm in Illinois. The site is made up of more than 6,000 acres, including the wetland, two lakes and prairie.
Federal protections for wetlands were weakened by a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2023. The ruling rolled back Clean Water Act protections for wetlands, allowing them to be destroyed without a permit. A bill proposed in the Illinois General Assembly would create a requirement for those permits again at the state level.
The high court decision didn't impact the Nature Conservancy, but instead hurts the equally important wetlands that can be found on farmland and private property across the state, said Randy Smith, Illinois River project director for The Nature Conservancy.
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Categories: Illinois, General