Welcome to the Illinois River Biological Station
The Illinois River Biological Station is one of six stations of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) Program’s Long Term Resource Monitoring element (LTRM), funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and administered by the United States Geological Survey’s Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Some of our staff also coordinate the Long Term Survey and Assessment of Large River Fishes in Illinois (LTEF) on the Illinois River Waterway and select pools on the Upper Mississippi River, black carp research on the La Grange Reach of the Illinois River, invasive carp monitoring in backwaters of the Peoria Reach of the Illinois River, fish and vegetation monitoring and research at the Emiquon Preserve, and aid in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ ongoing management of bighead and silver carps.
Support for IRBS
The Illinois River Biological Station is supported by the Prairie Research Institute’s Illinois Natural History Survey; Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Upper Mississippi River Restoration; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service through Sport Fish & Wildlife Restoration grants; and The Nature Conservancy.
IRBS staff also coordinate and undertake various other research programs focusing on large river ecosystems and are active in outreach to the public. Please visit our Facebook page for regular updates and amazing new pictures.