The Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge located along the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

in Cass County and Morgan County in the U.S. state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The refuge is adjacent to

Meredosia, Illinois Meredosia is a village in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,044 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the 2010 census, Meredosia has a total area of , ...

, but is managed by the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with oth ...

from a headquarters located in

Havana, Illinois Havana is a city in Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,301 at the 2010 census, and 3,040 at a 2018 estimate. It is the county seat of Mason County. History Havana was a major ancient American settlement two thousand years ...

Ecology and history

The Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is located on a riverine zone, historically

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, that borders the Illinois River and its

flyway A flyway is a flight path used by large numbers of birds while migrating between their breeding grounds and their overwintering quarters. Flyways generally span continents and often pass over oceans. Although applying to any species of migrati ...

for

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

. Much of the Refuge is located on a patch of wetland that is still called ''Meredosia Island'' although it is now permanently connected to the mainland by drained parcels of former riverbed. To the east of the Refuge is a large shallow lake,

Meredosia Lake Meredosia Lake is a riparian lake that forms part of the valley of the Illinois River. It is located in Cass and Morgan Counties, Illinois. Much of the floodplain isthmus between Lake Meredosia and the river is known as Meredosia Island, and much ...

. While attempts were made in the early 1900s to drain and reclaim much of the Illinois Riverbed for farming, this was not done with Meredosia Island. The sodden land, which resisted reclamation, was acquired in the early 1920s by the ''Chicago Meredosia Gun Club'', a group of men of means who appreciated the opportunity to shoot

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

s and

geese A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...

. The gun club's caretakers began the active management of

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...

s on Meredosia Island for waterfowl. After the federal Fish and Wildlife Service took over much of the Island in 1973 to form the current Refuge, these efforts continued. Fish and Wildlife Service land acquisition efforts continue. As of 2009, the USFWS had acquired a parcel, slightly less than 70 percent of the total authorized "footprint" that the Refuge will cover when the acquisition process is complete. The lands currently under active federal ownership or management are now managed not only for waterfowl, but also for shorebirds, wading birds and other wildlife that are native to the Illinois River valley. The Fish and Wildlife Service's long-range plans for the Refuge call for it to contain a mixture of backwater lake, bottomland forest, upland forest, prairie, seasonal wetland, and permanent marsh habitats.

References

Protected areas of Cass County, Illinois Protected areas of Morgan County, Illinois National Wildlife Refuges in Illinois Illinois River Protected areas established in 1973 Wetlands of Illinois Landforms of Cass County, Illinois Landforms of Morgan County, Illinois 1973 establishments in Illinois {{MorganCountyIL-geo-stub