Kickapoo Creek Watershed

Our Vision: Create a geopark encompassing the Kickapoo Creek Watershed

The Mission

In 2021, the Friends of Rocky Glen voted to expand their purpose and activities to protect the Kickapoo Creek Watershed using the concept of a geopark. Geoparks provide a framework to understand the many aspects of a watershed, including the geology, biology and human land use. A Kickapoo Creek Geopark will give people a sense of pride in their region; begin to identify and address environmental injustice; develop recreational opportunities; and create and restore wildlife habitat.

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our strategies

Education, Restoration and Habitat, Collaboration

Education Action

  • We will develop regular educational hikes, signage, public discussions slide show presentations, brochures and social media.

Restoration and Habitat Actions

  • We will schedule regular workdays
  • We will recruit and train volunteers, seeking to develop a diversity of age, gender, cultural and economic background. We will encourage autonomy and science-based development.
  • We will develop a ten year vision for the watershed encompassing recreational amenities, natural areas preservation and watershed healing opportunities. In tandem we will compile a list of site-specific flora / fauna inventories, geologic features and seek out opportunities to quantify levels of impairment in terms of soil quality, erosion burden and water pollution through citizen science and historic research.
  • We will develop a land management plan that includes soil evaluation, measurable goals and methods. It will include specific locations, unique habitats, geological features and hiking / biking trails.

Collaboration

  • We will build governmental, business and community support, including the farming community, for the creation of the Kickapoo Creek Watershed Conservation Area. This process will include increasing sustainable agricultural acreage, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.
  • We will seek letters of support from community groups to demonstrate their commitment to our process.
  • We will identify areas of increased opportunity in these areas and provide support for their enaction.
  • We will seek involvement of technically skilled agencies to develop the KCWCA Land Management Plan.
  • The general areas of focus will be the seven miles of streamway from Jubilee College State Park and Historic Site southeast to Wildlife Prairie Park plus the final thirteen miles of Creek to the confluence with the Illinois River.
  • We will research, develop and promote the Kickapoo Creek Watershed using a geopark model as defined by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.