#Illinois Department of Natural Resources

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Eastern Mole

Scalopus aquaticus

Photo: Illinois Department of Natural Resources

[rjzimmerman]

This article tells us that the environmental review of the project was conducted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Based on my experience with the IDNR, any species that was to be protected was doomed once the IDNR got involved. That department is as corrupt as any in Illinois, if not more so because it’s generally hiding in the bushes. Of course the IDNR was going to take care of the corporation owning and operating the Chicago History Museum and the construction companies that were going to construct the renovations.

Congratulations Chicago and Illinois. You’ve proven you’re as corrupt as the news media says you are.

Excerpt from this story from the National Geographic:

In 2021, the museum broke ground on an effort to modernize its shaded lawns. The project included the construction of a walking trail with signs highlighting Chicago history, the installation of native plantings, and the reinforcement of the ceiling above its leaky underground archives. The work was designed, in part, to make the space a more attractive venue for high-dollar events like weddings and fundraisers.

The area, however, was also adjacent to a long-standing breeding ground for at least 45 pairs of black-crowned night herons, which are listed as endangered in the state of Illinois. Museum officials were not only aware of the herons, staff and visitors even enjoyed having an endangered bird’s rookery on the museum’s grounds.

“The birds had been around for a while,” John Russick, senior vice president of the museum, told National Geographic. “It was kind of cool that they were here.”

Yet museum officials appeared to minimize possible damage to the birds’ rookery that a major construction project would cause. Based on the museum’s limited assessment of the birds, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources conducted a brief environmental review and found the renovation posed little risk of disruption to the herons. Teams of workers arrived in March of 2021, just before the herons’ annual springtime nesting season. The crews operated loud equipment at times only a few yards from the rookery.

Soon after, the birds abandoned their nests. Weeks later, crows were seen scavenging on dead nestlings. In 2022, a handful of male herons returned to the site, but after failing to attract mates, they left.

[nationallawreview]

Illinois Passes Comprehensive Law Governing Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration Projects in Illinois

On May 26, the Illinois legislature passed comprehensive carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) legislation. CCUS involves the capture of carbon dioxide directly from ambient air or uses processes to separate carbon dioxide from industrial or energy-related sources, either for use or for underground injection for long-term storage. The Safety and Aid for the Environment in Carbon…

[yells-of-the-not-so-danged]

Did You Know?

[chase-prairie]

Spring Woodland Flowers of Illinois poster by Robert F. Eschenfeldt (1930-2005)

I'm slowly collecting these gorgeous posters from the 70s/80s that the Department of Natural Resources put out. I've had luck with nature centers digging in their back closets

[nohiketoosmall]

Do you live in Illinois? Please read <3

The Kirtland's Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) is a Midwestern snake that lives in wetlands and grasslands. It is threatened, endangered, or extirpated (locally extinct) throughout its range. The species was rejected from "endangered species" status but will be reconsidered in the next two years.

Photo credit x

The Kirtland's Snake has been found in a preserve in Will County, Illinois (just south of Chicago), but a permit filed by the County indicates they plan to pave a trail straight through its critical wetland habitat.

Figure 2 from here showing untouched habitat they will be paving through. This is from the Incidental Take permit.

The "Incidental Take" refers to the individuals that will die as a result of this plan. The "Incidental take" in this case is estimated to be 3 snakes because they found 3 in the planned construction zone, but this does not consider 1. the small gene pool/population size 2. the loss of prey from damage to the wetlands (from wetland pollution and soil compression) and 3. overall habitat decreasing and 4. direct injury from human persons ie being run over by bikes or stepped on.

Photo from IDNR fact sheet, source

If you are a nature lover please consider emailing DNR.ITACoordinator@Illinois.gov , the Department of Natural Resources Incidental Take Authorization coordinator, and ask them to reconsider and strengthen protections for threatened species like this!

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

The State Birds Initiative - Introduction

Before I do ANYTHING else, and before you read anything else...let's start this with a little poll, shall we?

...Look, I'm an overly ambitious person by nature. It's a problem, I'm fully aware. So, in the midst of writing character essays, imagining my own version of the DC Cinematic Universe (I promise, I will return to the Legion of Super-Heroes series; been having writer's block, not gonna lie), and about a dozen other projects that don't include school and my job (one and the same thing, and I love both, but I'll get to that one day)...I had another thought. That I would like to present to the good people of Tumblr (and perhaps beyond).

The state birds suck.

Most people on Tumblr don't know this about me, save for a select few that no me in real life (hey guys, 'sup), but I'm an avid birdwatcher, and am currently working in ornithology as a profession and student. As such, and as a former (and future) teacher, I have a vested passion in spreading the word. And one of the first ways most of us in the United States engage with birds, other than through the world and people around us, is through our national bird and state birds. Oh, and for anybody reading this not from the USA, don't worry, national birds are included here, too.

Now, in case you don't know for whatever reason, each one of the states in the United States has a bird meant to represent the state, designated by the government and often nominated by the state's citizens. This tradition started in 1926, with Kentucky's national bird, the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Now, most states have an official state bird, although Pennsylvania technically has a state game bird, rather than a state bird. We'll get to it. But in any case, there's a bird associated with every state.

But, uh...most of them suuuuuuuuuuuck.

Now, for example, I'm not saying that the Northern Cardinal sucks. Far from it! I love cardinals, and honestly, who doesn't? They're handsome birds, they have a lot of character, they're recognizable in most states in the Union by most people. I love them! But, uh...cardinals are extremely overused as state birds. Kentucky chose them as their state bird first, and were followed by Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia. That's ridiculous. Also, wait, really, Virginia? You saw that West Virginia had it already, and STILL went for the cardinal? What the hell?

But why? Maybe there's a good reason for all of those states to choose the cardinal, after all. Obviously, it's present in all of those states, because...well, the Northern Cardinal is basically everywhere. But other than that, why? Well, let's see.

Kentucky: Unclear, but it's likely because of its prevalence, songs, and nonmigratory behavior, at least according to some sources; there isn't a lot of evidence online as to why outside of this.

Illinois: For this one, we blame the children. Yeah, kids voted this one sd the symbol, choosing it over the bluebird, meadowlark, bobwhite, and oriole, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. So, yeah, probably because it's familiar and red.

Indiana: For...reasons. Yeah, even less is known about this choice. Safe to assume, though, that it's because it's familiar and red.

Ohio: Apparently, this is because it's red and has a cheerful song. 'Kay. Again, not a lot of evidence for this one, but we'll go with it.

North Carolina: This one also came down to public vote, after a campaign initiated by the North Carolina Bird Club in 1943. It won over the red-winged blackbird, wild turkey, scarlet tanager, and gray catbird. Apparently, this was the second attempt at a state bird, as the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) had been chosen ten years earlier, but only retained the position for a week because the bird's other name is, and this is true, the tomtit. And that was apparently too lewd for the title of state bird. Jesus. We'll get back to that when I address North Carolina officially.

West Virginia: Again, chosen and voted by schoolchildren, and chosen because it's familiar, red, and has a cheerful song. 'Kay.

Virginia: No idea. Also, don't listen to the sites that say their bird "exemplifies the quality of the state" unless they have the GODDAMN PAPERWORK to back that shit up. If I had to guess, it's possibly because the northern cardinal is one of the first birds seen in the state by settlers to the continental USA, who landed in...Virginia. So, the state's got a historical connection to the cardinal, meaning that the last state to ratify it as a state bird is the one to make the most sense to do so.

So, yeah...only one of those makes sense to me. Otherwise, it just feels...random. And by the way, many of the state birds do make some sense. Utah's choice, the California Gull (Larus californicus), has roots in a Mormon miracle, which makes perfect sense for the Mormon state. Louisiana's Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is an iconic species to the American southeast, and a massive proportion of the species breeds in the state. Same goes for the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), the state bird of Oklahoma. Iconic and unique grassland bird, and it breeds within the state in high quantities for the global population.

But others? Why does New York (a state I grew up in and around) have the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) for its state bird? Because it's blue and nice-looking? Why exactly do Wyoming, Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, and North Dakota ALL have the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)? I love the song too, and it's an iconic grassland species, but really? All of you? And Maine? Maine...Maine. I mean, you didn't even go for a specific species and just listed "chickadee" as your state bird. Why? There is a MUCH. BETTER. OPTION. OBVIOUSLY. But...I digress.

...FUCK IT

WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH IS MAINE'S STATE BIRD NOT THE ATLANTIC PUFFIN (Fratercula arctica)??? ANSWER ME MAINE GODDAMMIT

Seriously, what the hell? It's the only state IN THE UNION where the Atlantic puffin breeds, and it's an incredibly iconic bird! I mean, look at that thing! They're adorable, fish-eating, clumsy-flying, feathery orbs with a Froot Loops beak (for part of the year), complete with their own fucking cereal that I ate constantly as a child. And their babies are called pufflings! PUFFLINGS!!! DO YOU HEAR ME MAINE WHAT THE FU

...OK. OK. I'm good. Look, this genuinely irritates the SHIT out of me, both as a hobbyist and as a professional. There are near 1,000 bird species that can be found in the United States, and the state birds are, honestly, some basic-ass choices that doesn't BEGIN to explore the incredible diversity of this taxon. And honestly, maybe if we changed up the state birds, we could increase awareness for these animals and their conservation stories and needs. There are so many missed opportunities here for us as educators, birders, ornithologists, backyard birdwatchers, and even Birdblr, to educate those around us who aren't as ornithologically-inclined. Imagine being able to convince a friend to go find the state bird on a trip some weekend. It could be a fun activity, and a fun way to get into birdwatching and the natural world! IT'S GOT POTENTIAL!!!

And look, I realize I'm not alone on this front. Various people have proposed changing up the state birds, including some more powerful professionals than I. If you haven't seen it yet, check out this essay series from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that came out last year, which asks whether or not eBird could be used to identify better candidates for state birds. And I'll be using it for what's coming next. Because here's the thing. I'm tired of ranting alone in the dark towards nobody while my fiancee is trying to sleep about this. I need to rant to you poor people instead. And what's more...I want people to rant with me. If they want to. So...

TO ME, BIRDBLR!!! LEND ME YOUR BINOCULARS!!!

I propose an initiative to create a new list of state birds for the United States of America. And I'm talkin' EVERY state, baby! Even the ones that have fitting birds, as mentioned above. We live in a GODDAMN DEMOCRACY, and I say that we put this to a vote. So, Imma make a series of polls, one for each state. And yeah, that's 50 polls. Each will have a selection of birds, including the current state bird for that state, and I'll present the options in each case. The rules and selection criteria for the birds I'll present are as follows:

The bird has to be wild and breed in the state in question. No migrants, to accidentals, no introduced species (looking at you, South Dakota), no domestic species (looking at you, Rhode Island and Delaware). They're from the state, they breed there, and they're wild. Don't have to be endemic to the state, but they need to be found there, at bare goddamn minimum.

No repeats! Every state will have a different species! No more repeats. If there are any ties for states to get a given bird, another set of polls will be made at the end to determine which state will get that bird, and the second highest bird will claim the spot for that state. I'll try to avoid that for each state, but we'll see how things go.

There has to be a reason for their selection. For each of the birds presented for each state, I'll make a solid argument for their nomination. This also goes for any birds submitted to me for suggestions (and yes, I mean to say y'all can make suggestions if you want to for each state). If you have a bird you think would be good for a state, especially if it's your state, please give me a reason. Not that it's pretty, not that you like it's song, not that it "represents the spirit of the state's people" for no easily defined reason. GIVE ME A REASON

And for now, that's it! And hell, if this gets popular or demanded (and I'm saying this if, like, 30 people pay attention to this post), I'll also do the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. And hell (again), I'll even consider doing other countries if that gets demanded, definitely starting with Canada and seeing how things go from there. And finally...if people want it, maybe even the Bald Eagle (Halieetus leucocephalus) will go up for debate as the USA's national bird. Although, not gonna lie, I think that we're stuck with that one. Still, there are other questions that can be brought up if this gets popular enough. For now, though, let's focus on one thing at a time.

So, hopefully you answered the poll at the top, because I am curious as to what you think about your state bird. And just to set this up, the first state on the chopping block is Delaware, which has one of the most offensive state birds, in my opinion. Because seriously. What the fuck, Delaware? What the fuck.

See you soon, hopefully! And happy birding!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction to the State Birds Initiative

Delaware - Poll | Results Pennsylvania - Poll | Results New Jersey - Poll | Results (coming soon) Georgia - incoming!

[bethanythebogwitch]

I mentioned on my last post that my last job was removing invasive carp from the Mississippi river. While what we were doing was good and has made a measurable difference, It pales in comparison to the difference that could be made if commercial fishermen took up the gauntlet of helping remove them en masse.

One of the best things for encouraging the removal of an invasive species is to develop a market for it to encourage people to take them out of the wild. In the case of the carp, there was no market for them so fishermen wouldn't take them as they'd make no money from it. My job partnered with someone who was trying to make a market for them. We gave him the fish we caught and he turned them into bait and fertilizer. We couldn't accept payment for them due to working on a grant but if fishermen could sell carp to fertilizer or bait companies, they would be more likely to keep the carp instead of tossing them back.

Recently, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources started an attempt to develop a market for carp by renaming them to copi. The idea is that the word "carp" has a negative stigma which discourages people from eating them, so rebranding the meat to "copi" can open up a new market. The fish are eaten in their native rage in Asia and from what I've heard are quite good (I wanted to try some but never got the chance) so the rename would ideally help with getting people to try their meat. This has apparently worked in previous cases such as renaming the Patagonian tooth fish to the Chilean sea bass. Will it work? I haven't seen any data on whether or not its working and it may be too soon to draw conclusions, but hopefully this will help reduce the invasive carp populations and may be a model usable for other invasive species.

Check this website for more information and places where you can buy copi. If I ever get the chance to buy some, I will. choosecopi.com

[arthistoryanimalia]

News: Illinois Department of Natural Resources seeking entries for cicada-themed art show

“The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is hosting a cicada-themed art show, and it's going to be a scream!”

“Illinois is the epicenter of a rare double cicada brood emergence this summer, and IDNR wants to commemorate the occasion with a public art show in Conservation World during the 2024 Illinois State Fair, Aug. 8-18.”

[charring58]

House Bill 3413 establishes procedures for handling human remains and gravesites that are uncovered in Illinois. This bill also authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to collaborate with the Illinois State Museum and Tribes with historical ties to Illinois to create a cemetery for the reburial of repatriated remains and materials

[uwlmvac]

Limestone might not be the first thing one associates with a kiln. Perhaps clay pots, plates, and mugs come to mind more readily. Yet, lime kilns were important for converting limestone to powdered lime for making mortar and plaster in the 1800s. This kiln, with the interior (top left), entrance (bottom left), and a diagram of its dimensions (right) shown here, was dug into an Iowa hillside. It is a periodic kiln, which would have cycled with a firing time of 72 hours followed by 12 hours of cooling (Mansberger and Straton n.d.). The upper third of the kiln was constructed of cut limestone blocks, and the lower two-thirds were cut out of bedrock (boundary marked by red arrow). The limestone blocks were either dry-laid, or if mortar was used to cement them together, it has decayed. Historical sources point to the kiln’s operation prior to 1870 (Andreas 1873; United States Department of the Interior, Census 1870; United States Department of the Interior, Census 1880).

Andreas, A.T. 1873    Illustrated Historical Atlas of Des Moines County, Iowa. Andreas Publishing Co. Lakeside Building, Chicago, Illinois.

Mansberger, Floyd, and Christopher Straton n.d.      The Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln at Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area, Pike County, Illinois. Brochure based on a report prepared for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

United States Department of the Interior, Census Office 1870    Ninth Census of the United States. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office. 1880    Tenth Census of the United States. Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office.

[rjzimmerman]

You know I'm obsessed with the piping plovers that annually migrate to Montrose Beach in Chicago, mate, have babies and migrate away. All the while totally unaware of their star status and the number of people who eagerly wait for all the news about them. Here's an excerpt from the latest development, from the Chicago Sun-Times:

Piping plovers Imani and Searocket have produced a full clutch — or four eggs — at Montrose Beach, giving birders more hope for a new generation.

The first egg was found May 31 in a protected area of the beach and since then Searocket has laid three more, the Chicago Piping Plovers announced Friday.

The nest is one of 32 nests being incubated in the wild across the Great Lakes.

Chicks hatch throughout the month of June and into July, according to Great Lakes Piping Plovers.

Since the eggs were laid, the Chicago bird community has faced some challenges in trying to keep the nest safe.

“Montrose is a very public place; we are challenged daily with people entering the protected area,” said Tamima Itani, lead volunteer coordinator of the Chicago Piping Plovers group.

To keep the nest and eggs safe, people are urged to respect the closed area boundaries, keep dogs on leashes and take trash with them at the end of their beach visit.

Imani was hatched at Montrose Beach in 2021, an offspring of the piping plovers Monty and Rose. Searocket, a captive-reared chick, was released at Montrose Beach in July 2023.

Piping plovers had disappeared from Illinois beaches around 1955, according to the park district. In 2019, Montrose Beach fledged chicks for the first time since 1955.

“This grand experiment in trying to recover the iconic symbol of the Great Lakes shoreline has come full circle with the return of both wild-hatched and captive-reared young,” Brad Semel, an Illinois Department of Natural Resources endangered species recovery specialist, said last month.

[indoorverticalfarmingnews]

Illinois Department of Natural Resources Opens Agricultural Lease Bids for 2025-2029

Key Takeaways: Agricultural Lease Contracts Available: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will accept bids for approximately 30 agricultural lease contracts covering the 2025-2029 crop years. Focus on Ecologically Sound Practices: The leases are designed to promote wildlife-friendly agricultural practices, improving soil health, reducing erosion, and benefiting water…

[evoldir]

Fwd: Graduate position: UIllinois.FishEvolutionGenomics

Begin forwarded message: > From: evoldir@evol.biology.mcmaster.ca > Subject: Graduate position: UIllinois.FishEvolutionGenomics > Date: 28 August 2024 at 06:43:08 BST > To: rdmpage@gmail.com > > > > > > > > The Biodiversity Genomics Lab of the Illinois Natural History Survey > (Tan Lab) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is seeking > to recruit a Ph.D. graduate student interested in fish evolution > and genomics to start in Fall semester of 2025. The lab's theme > is in studying evolution and diversification in fishes by applying > phylogenetic, genomic, and comparative methods. Funding is available to > work on a project focusing on the North American minnows of the family > Leuciscidae, including genomics, phylogenomics, biogeography, and/or > comparative phylogenetic methods for studying diversification. Desirable > experience (although not required) include familiarity with planning > fieldwork, collecting, preserving, and identifying North American > freshwater fish species particularly minnows, DNA extraction, > bioinformatics, and comparative phylogenetics analysis in R. For > more information on the research occurring in the lab, see this page: > https://ift.tt/JL0t4lg > > The University of Illinois has a strong collection of faculty > in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior and the > School of Integrative Biology. The student can apply through the > interdisciplinary Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology > (https://ift.tt/oDfAT2e). Champaign-Urbana > has a diverse, affordable, micro-urban community, are great college towns, > and are close to three major cities including Chicago. Learn more about > Champaign-Urbana here: https://ift.tt/D4abrzv > > The Illinois Natural History Survey is a part of the Prairie Research > Institute (PRI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Since > 1858, the INHS has been the guardian and recorder of the biological > resources of Illinois—the state’s biological memory. With a > staff of over 200 scientists and technicians, it is recognized as > the premier natural history survey in the nation. The INHS Biological > Collections include more than 9.5 million specimens housed in eleven > separate collections, including the most complete record of Illinois > biota anywhere, as well as having global geographic coverage for many > groups. The fish collection alone houses over 1 million specimens and > ranks within the top 15 largest in North America, providing an excellent > resource for research into fish biodiversity. > > Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Milton Tan >

[chase-prairie]

If you ever find a poster in this style not pictured here, PLEASE I'll pay you moneys for it!! These posters were done by Robert F. Eschenfeldt (1930-2005) for the Illinois Department of Conservation / Department of Natural Resources some time in the 1950-1970s and I LOVE them so much. Always looking for more!

[nohiketoosmall]

This is an edited and shortened version of an essay I wrote for my Conservation Science & Community class; I decided to post a version publicly because I thought it was interesting and I liked writing it:

The tribes forced west by the conflict with the United States in the early 1800s included the Potawatomi, who would then be established on territory west of the Mississippi (Loerzel, 2021). However, the loss of land would not be forgotten. In the past several years, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation (this is not the only group of Potawatomi peoples, as there were several different groups within the larger tribe) has been rallying to have land returned (Loerzel, 2021). The Illinois House of Representatives ruled in 2021 that the auctioning off of Chief Shab-eh-nay’s land in 1849 was illegal and supported the Nation’s efforts to regain land, although it seems that receiving federal support is still an ongoing issue (Whitepigeon, 2021a). Approximately 128 acres of land was repurchased by the Nation, which is undergoing federal review to be placed into a trust, under the National Environmental Policy Act (Shabehnay, n.d.). There are no public statements I could find on what would be done with the land; Whitepigeon (2021b) describes the situation as “unclear.” However, the fact that the current lands owned by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation are going under NEPA review suggests a positive direction to me.

What could a tribal park look like in Illinois? Chicago may have a large population of Native Americans, but there are no reservations here. Instead of preserving a traditional, continuous way of life and integrating environmental stewardship, environmental justice for midwestern, urban Native tribes may have to include repatriation of land and teaching traditional ecological knowledge (Turner & Spalding, 2013). Tribal parks differ in some ways from Euro-American views of national parks, with an acceptance of some level of renewable resource extraction, such as power generation or plant gathering (Carroll, 2014). They are similar in that they also champion restoration and conservation, acknowledging humans’ reliance on nature and the necessity of stewardship (Carroll, 2014). Both can also benefit as places for eco-tourism for recreational and educational purposes, although they may have differing levels of access depending on the preferences of the tribe (Carroll, 2014). If tribal land is returned in Illinois, it seems likely that a tribal national park would be established in order to foster education but also to emphasize tribal presence and the wish to remain involved in the stewardship of their former land.

Native Americans did not believe in the European structure of land ownership but were stripped of their sovereignty despite trying to work within the colonizers’ system (Carroll, 2014). In 1849, Chief Shab-eh-nay’s land was illegally auctioned off, against the United States’ own established laws. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation have been working for 174 years to get this land returned. This is a case where the legality of ownership has been established as rightfully with the Potawatomi, but there are many more tribes from the Chicago region. For many of these tribes, even if land rights were signed away "legally," it is worth considering whether the tribes were under duress and whether Native land repatriation should be more widely considered.

Chief Shab-eh-nay is the namesake of the town of Shabonna, Illinois, where he rode to warn settlers of an attack by the Sauk tribe, as well as Chief Shabbona Forest Preserve and Shabbona Lake State Park (Village of Shabbona, n.d.). This is what the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (2023) says about the history of Shabbona Lake State Park:

“Originally home to tribes of Native Americans, the park derives its name from Chief Shabbona. Pioneer settlement of the area began in the 1830s. From Shabbona Grove, in the southeast corner of the park, homesteaders spread over the region and began farming the rich soil.” (para. 1)

Sources below cut; this includes other source from the sections I removed from the original post, which was posted on my private class webpage.

Carroll, C. (2014). Native enclosures: Tribal national parks and the progressive politics of environmental stewardship in Indian Country. Geoforum, 53, 31-40.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources. (2023).  About Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area. https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/about/park.shabbonalake.html

Kim, J. (2022). Photos: The 69th annual Chicago Powwow. Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/visuals/ct-viz-powwow-indigenous-native-firstnations-photo-20221009-p6jyeagqhvaolefgis3xbwqynm-photogallery.html 

Loerzel, R. (2021). Why aren’t there any federal Indian reservations in Illinois? WBEZ Chicago. https://www.wbez.org/stories/why-doesnt-illinois-have-any-indian-reservations/a0fe743f-9283-441e-810f-f13fe0dc5344 

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. (2021). Land Acknowledgement. https://mitchellmuseum.org/land-acknowledgement/

Shabehnay. (n.d.). Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/shabehnay/

Turner, N., & Spalding, P. R. (2013). “We might go back to this”; drawing on the past to meet the future in northwestern North American Indigenous communities. Ecology and Society, 18(4).

Village of Shabbona. (n.d.)  History of Shabbona. http://shabbona-il.com/history-of-shabbona 

Whitepigeon, M. (2021a). Illinois House Resolution Supports the Return of Lands to Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Native News Online. https://nativenewsonline.net/sovereignty/proposed-to-return-of-illinois-lands-to-prairie-band-potawatomi-nation Whitepigeon, M. (2021b). Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Seeks Further Support in Reclaiming Illinois Lands. Native News Online. https://nativenewsonline.net/sovereignty/prairie-band-potawatomi-nation-seeks-further-support-in-reclaiming-illinois-lands