CROSSING THE LINES
            Migrating birds of spring and fall are another piece of evidence that nature is not limited by our man-made boundaries. The effects of our human activities on habitat and the environment also cross the lines we draw around us – national borders, state, county, and township lines, city limits, property lines, etc.
This was a persistent message at the Pecatonica Watershed Summit held March 29th in Monroe, Wisconsin. About 175 people from Illinois and Wisconsin gathered to learn more about water quality and habitat issues in the Pecatonica watershed and how they can be addressed. About 120 were landowners including farmers. Nearly half the participants crossed the Illinois state line to attend.
A quick look at a map shows that almost all of Stephenson County is in the Pecatonica watershed but an equally large land area of the watershed is across the state line in Wisconsin. Water quality of the Pecatonica River in Illinois is affected by what is going on in the watershed in Wisconsin. In the same way, the Pecatonica watershed affects the Rock River watershed, and the Rock River watershed is part of the Upper Mississippi watershed.
The challenge is to do all we can for the land within the lines for which we are responsible. Keeping the Pecatonica River healthy requires that the county, communities, and townships work to keep sediment and contaminants out of the water that crosses their boundaries on its way to the river. Landowners and producers in the county working within their property lines do the same by applying conservation practices that keep sediment and chemicals out of the water that crosses their lines on its way to the river. The water, like the migrating birds, ignores man-made boundaries.
Preserving and restoring habitat also means crossing lines. Connecting areas to allow wildlife to move freely often requires ignoring traditional boundaries. Sometimes property with a wetland or natural area is located so that a line divides it. Like migrating birds, wetlands and other natural areas cross lines.
Many conservation groups already are working across the lines to restore and protect soil and water and habitat. Pheasants Forever, Turkey Federation, and Ducks Unlimited work in the area of northwest Illinois. The Yellow Creek Watershed partnership touches portions of JoDaviess and Carroll Counties. The Northwest Audubon Society supports conservation measures on the Upper Mississippi watershed. The Blackhawk Hills Resource and Development Council serves six counties of northwest Illinois and is cooperating across state lines with six other Councils in a four-state Driftless Area Initiative working on habitat, water quality, and soil conservation in the Upper Mississippi watershed. The Sugar-Pecatonica Rivers Ecosystem Partnership includes Stephenson County and parts of Winnebago County. Many groups have state and national affiliations that help them look at how they fit into the big picture.

Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water
Conservation District, an equal opportunity provider and employer, 04/02/08
(for publication on 04/12/08 in the Journal-Standard, Freeport, Illinois).
Della can be reached at info@stephensonswcd.org