Wetlands for Wildlife—the second episode of The Illinois River documentary created for WTVP—is now available to watch! It features researchers Jason DeBoer and Andrya Whitten from the Illinois River Biological Station, as well as Aaron Yetter from the INHS Forbes Biological Station!
The INHS rivers research team has received the Prairie Rivers Network Outstanding Public Servant Award for its long-term contributions to our understanding of Illinois rivers. INHS research on rivers dates back to 1894, when the University of Illinois opened what is now the Forbes Biological Station in Havana, Illinois, and selected INHS director Stephen Forbes to […]
We had the opportunity to showcase our fish techniques and some fish to local fifth and sixth-graders at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency dive, held at the Emiquon Preserve.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As common carp forage in Illinois River sediment, they eat and scatter seeds of both beneficial plants and invasive species. A new IRBS and Forbes Biological Station study suggests that the specific seeds carp consume and the distance at which they shed them could potentially impact the river ecosystem. To find out […]
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish, and other sportfish are at the highest levels recorded in more than a century in the Illinois River, according to a new report. Their dramatic recovery, from populations close to zero near Chicago throughout much of the 20th century, began just after implementation of the Clean […]
Rivers help define Illinois both on our maps and in our minds. After decades of decline driven by pollution, the major rivers of Illinois—the Wabash, Ohio, Mississippi, and Illinois—started to improve after the Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972. Unfortunately, chemical pollution may be relatively controlled, but biological pollution, most recently with the arrival […]
Champaign, Ill. — Largemouth bass males swimming in the lower Des Plaines River below the Chicago metropolitan area showed female characteristics at a high rate, according to a new study led by IRBS researchers. To find out more, read this article by the Prairie Research Institute.
Researchers Rich Pendleton, Levi Solomon, and Blake Bushman of the INHS Illinois River Biological Station are helping to educate the next group of Conservation Police Officers. The trio provided hands on training to Illinois Conservation Police Officer Cadets concerning fish sampling and identification with demonstrations on the Illinois River.