Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area |
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IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
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 Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
Location in Illinois
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| Location | Cass County, Illinois, USA |
| Nearest city | Chandlerville, Illinois |
| Area | 16,550 acres (6,698 ha) |
| Established | June, 1993 |
| Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
The Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (JEPC) is a special place in Cass County, Illinois. It's a large area, about 16,550 acres, set aside to protect nature. This area has a mix of open grasslands and woodlands along Panther Creek. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources helps manage this important site. It's named after Jim Edgar, who used to be the governor of Illinois.
Contents
A Look Back: How JEPC Began
The land where Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area is now was once home to the Illinois Confederation of Native American tribes. By the 1850s, many settlers had moved into the Panther Creek area. It was a good place for farming because it was close to a main road between Springfield, Illinois and Beardstown, Illinois.
From Power Plant to Park: "Site M"
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, an electric company called Commonwealth Edison bought this farmland. They planned to build a large power plant here. This project was so big that the land was even given a special name: "Site M." The company also planned to create a huge 5,000-acre pond to cool the power plant.
However, new environmental laws, like the federal Clean Air Act, made it harder and more expensive to burn certain types of coal. Because of these changes, Commonwealth Edison decided not to build the power plant. After owning the land for nearly 20 years, they agreed to sell it to the state of Illinois in 1993.
JEPC Today: Protecting Nature
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources bought "Site M" in June 1993. This purchase became the biggest part of what we now know as the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area. In 2001, the area was officially named to honor Jim Edgar, who was the governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999.
How the Land is Used
The Jim Edgar Panther Creek area is very large, covering about 16,550 acres. This land is managed in different ways:
- About 6,350 acres are kept as open space, like grasslands.
- Around 6,000 acres are managed as woodlands.
- About 4,200 acres are still used as farmland. This farmland is rented out to local farmers.
This mix of uses helps support the local community by allowing property taxes to be collected from the farmland. These taxes help support local schools and other government services.
Exploring JEPC's Open Spaces
The open spaces at Jim Edgar Panther Creek are managed to help certain animals thrive. These include mourning doves, pheasants, quail, snipe, woodcock, and rabbits. Managers plant different crops like grass, sunflower seeds, and wheat in rotating areas. This provides food and good places for these animals to live. People with an Illinois license can hunt these animals in designated areas.
Lakes and Ponds: A Home for Fish
JEPC has several small natural ponds and man-made lakes. These waters are stocked with different types of fish, making them great for fishing! You can find largemouth bass, channel catfish, and common Illinois "panfish" like bluegill (which is the Illinois state fish!) and green sunfish. Prairie Lake, one of the larger lakes, is also stocked with muskellunge.
Cox Creek Hill Prairie: A Special Spot
Within JEPC, there's a special area called the Cox Creek Hill Prairie State Natural Area. This area covers about 175 acres and has many small patches of unique hill prairies. These prairies are important habitats, and over 87 different kinds of birds have been seen there! Because of its importance for birds, the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area was named an Important Bird Area of Illinois in 2004.
Discovering JEPC's Woodlands
The woodlands at Jim Edgar Panther Creek are managed to support animals like white-tailed deer and wild turkey. Many other amazing animals also live in these woodlands and the nearby open areas. These include furbearing animals like coyotes, raccoons, opossums, red foxes, gray foxes, and striped skunks. Just like with the open space animals, people with an Illinois hunting license can hunt these species.
