Science & Research Research Reaching Across Borders

From the vibrant tallgrass prairies of Nachusa Grasslands, to the lush, restored wetlands of Emiquon, to the urban habitats of Indian Boundary Prairies, to the fertile farmlands of central Illinois, TNC and partner organizations are conducting research that will help us better understand our natural areas—and how we can protect them for tomorrow. Here’s a look at some of TNC’s research projects in 2022.

Casting New Light on Grazing Behavior

A recent study conducted at Nachusa Grasslands was published by the respected journal Ecology. The study focused on nighttime feeding patterns of rodents in areas where bison graze. On nights with full moons, small rodents are more detectable to predators like owls and bobcats, so they tend to be least active during that time. The research teams were surprised to learn that, in the places where bison grazing reduces vegetation cover, deer mouse activity was four times lower on full moon nights compared to areas with no bison grazing. In contrast, prairie voles were twice as active in bison-grazed areas under full moons, but they shifted their foraging behavior to before moonrise or after moonset.

This type of insight helps TNC staff understand how bison grazing affects the prairie, allowing them to better understand the full ecosystem impact of the bison. In addition to the publication of this research, the lead author, Pete Guiden, PhD, from Hamilton College, presented at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America, the world’s largest professional organization of ecologists, in August 2022.

Connecting the Dots at Emiquon

In 2016, TNC completed the construction of a water control structure at Emiquon that reconnected the floodplain to the Illinois River. In addition to improving habitat connectivity, the structure provides researchers with opportunities to better understand how to incorporate water level management into floodplain restoration—and how these water exchanges can benefit people and nature.

In 2022, ongoing research examined new impacts of the water control structure. TNC researchers studied how much zooplankton and algae—essential food sources for riverine mussels and fish—Emiquon contributes to the river during seasonal water exchanges. The data they gathered support the importance of floodplain wetland-to-river reconnections, as Emiquon produces more zooplankton and algae than what is typically found in the river. Researchers also assessed how water level affects seed production—important for growing the plants that feed migrating waterfowl—as well as how it impacts aquatic vegetation and nesting bird reproduction.

Researching Agriculture on the Mackinaw River

For 20 years, TNC has been working with the agricultural community in the Mackinaw River watershed to implement and monitor the effectiveness of sustainable agricultural practices. This watershed was selected as a priority site because of its diversity of fish and mussel species, high-quality tributary streams and habitats that support native and migratory wildlife.

After working with partners and landowners to construct more than 20 wetlands on private agricultural lands in the watershed, TNC shared its research and learnings in a book chapter published by the Soil and Water Conservation Society.

Additionally, a 12-year study was recently published in the Journal of Environmental Quality that focused on the effectiveness of constructed wetlands to reduce the amount of excess nitrogen and phosphorus that entered nearby rivers and streams.

Now, in the interest of scaling up watershed conservation in the Mackinaw River and coordinating conservation efforts with partners across the watershed, TNC researchers are developing a Mackinaw River Watershed Greenprint. Once completed, this online tool could be used to document conservation in the watershed in real time, facilitate coordination and prioritization of conservation efforts, identify new partnership and funding opportunities and ensure that areas of high biodiversity are protected.

Studying Stormwater at Indian Boundary Prairies

At TNC’s Indian Boundary Prairies (IBP)—a cluster of five grassland preserves in Markham, Illinois, that are co-owned and collaboratively managed with Northeastern Illinois University—researchers from TNC and Northwestern University are working with local communities and state-of-the-art technology to understand how these natural habitats can help mitigate damaging flooding.

In 2016, researchers began installing sensor nodes at IBP that measure conditions including soil moisture and rain water levels. Data led them to narrow their focus on specific areas for further attention. In 2022, their sights turned toward IBP’s “prairie edges.” These strips of habitat run along the boundary of each preserve and have been impacted by nearby roads, potentially making them challenging to restore due to metal and salt exposure. Despite that limitation, these edge areas can serve an important role in capturing and collecting stormwater.

While the data from the sensors will help the team understand the relationship between stormwater runoff and the preserves, researchers are also looking to another key piece of information in 2022: community dialogue. Through outreach and a survey, TNC is working to understand the needs of nearby residents to inform conservation and stewardship efforts in the future.