Speakers Series presents a discussion on the Emiquon wetland restoration project

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents a discussion on the Emiquon wetland restoration project on the Illinois River.

WHEN: Thursday, June 24, 2010 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library
(The event will be available on video on demand at www.uis.edu/its/iss/webcasting.html)

DETAILS: Dr. Michael Lemke, Director of the University of Illinois Springfield Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, will discuss the history, purpose, importance and challenges of the work being conducted at Emiquon.

At 7,100 acres, Emiquon is the second-largest wetland restoration project undertaken in the United States, behind the Florida Everglades. Levees built by farmers in rural Illinois nearly a century ago cut the Emiquon Preserve from the Illinois River, reducing wetlands to cornfields. Recent restoration work has refilled the wetlands with water and provided a home to birds, waterfowl, aquatic plants and fish. But with the levees still in place, a team of scientists examines the potential impact of reconnecting the wetlands to its lifeblood, a river now changed by invasive species and floodwater from urban development.

The ECCE Speakers Series at UIS is a campus-sponsored lecture series that aims to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world. All events are free and open to the public.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.