The Wetlands Initiative facts for kids
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| Founded | 1994 (operations began in 1995) |
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| Type | Nonprofit conservation organization |
| Focus | Wetland conservation |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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Area served
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Midwestern United States |
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Executive director and president
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Paul Botts |
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Staff (2019)
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27 |
The Wetlands Initiative (TWI) is a non-profit group. It works to protect nature. TWI is based in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. This group works with other non-profit organizations and government groups. They also work with local communities. Their main goal is to bring back and study wetlands in the Midwestern United States. TWI wants a world with lots of healthy wetlands. These wetlands help make water cleaner. They also help fight climate change. They protect many different plants and animals. And they make life better for people.
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History of TWI
The Wetlands Initiative officially started in 1994. They began their work in 1995. In 2020, TWI celebrated being 25 years old. They released two short films for this special event. One film honored Al Pyott, who helped start TWI. He passed away in June 2020. Another film, "Wetlands: Havens of Life," was a video essay. It was made by author Julian Hoffman. He was supposed to speak at the 25th-anniversary event. But the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amazing Wetland Projects
Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
The Wetlands Initiative owns and manages the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge. This special place is near Hennepin, Illinois. Most of this land used to be lakes and wetlands. These were connected to the Illinois River. But in the early 1900s, the land was drained. It was then used for farming for over 75 years.
TWI bought the land in 2000. They wanted to show that such a place could be restored. They aimed to bring it back to a very healthy state. This would be done at a reasonable cost and in a good amount of time. The restoration work started in the spring of 2001. By 2004, the refuge was named an "Important Bird Area." This was done by the National Audubon Society.
In 2012, the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge received another big honor. It was named a "Wetlands of International Importance." This was under the global Ramsar Convention. It was only the 34th place in the United States to get this award. A small part of the refuge, about 26 acres, has a rare seep. A seep is a wet spot where water slowly comes out of the ground. This is the largest high-quality seep in the Illinois River Valley. It is protected as an Illinois Nature Preserve.
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
TWI is a main partner at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. This is a site managed by the United States Forest Service. The area has rare prairies made of dolomite rock. It also has special sedge meadows. In 2013, a part of Midewin was restored by TWI and Openlands. This restored area won an award. It was for Conservation and Native Landscaping from Chicago Wilderness.
Calumet Region Restoration
Starting in 2016, TWI began big restoration projects. They worked with partners in the Calumet Region. This area is in two states.
- Indian Ridge Marsh: This is a park in Chicago. For many years, it was used as a dump. Waste from steel mills was thrown there. TWI and its partners are working to create healthy marsh and prairie habitats.
- Northwest Indiana: TWI helped organize a group to restore wetlands here. They are bringing back the natural water flow. They are also planting native plants. This is happening along a 2,000-acre part of the Little Calumet River. This area was cleared and had levees built for flood control. These places were known to be hard to restore. But conservationists always saw their potential.
Smart Wetlands Project
Farmers in Illinois use fertilizers on their land. Rain can wash these fertilizers into rivers. This is called agricultural runoff. This runoff flows into the Illinois River. It then goes into the Gulf Coast. There, it causes a "dead zone." This is an area where there is not enough oxygen for sea life.
TWI is helping Illinois farmers. They encourage them to build special wetlands. These are called constructed wetlands. They help clean the water before it reaches the river. This stops farm pollution from getting into the Illinois River. The "Smart Wetlands" project works closely with other groups. These include the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership. It also works with farmer groups like the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
As of fall 2020, four of these wetlands were built. Two are on farms in Bureau County. One is on a farm in Livingston County. And one is at Illinois Central College. This college has a busy program for studying farming.
