Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area

State park in Illinois, United States

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area

IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)

Location within Illinois

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Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area (the United States)

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Location| Fulton County, Illinois
Nearest city| Canton, Illinois
Area| 4,363 acres (1,766 ha)
Governing body| Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park covering 4,363 acres (1,766 ha) in Fulton County, Illinois, United States.

## History

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From 1910 to 1958, the former bottomland lake and marsh were leveed and drained for farming.[1]

From the late 1880s to the mid-1980s, approximately 90% of the site was strip-mined for coal.[2][3][4]

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources purchased the land in the 1980s.[5] The Illinois Department of Natural Resources partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a reclamation project that was completed in May 2003. The project optimized the habitat for wildlife (fish and waterfowl), improved flood control, and increased food and cover for wildlife.[6]

The three major lakes are Johnson (600 acres (240 ha)), Wheel (350 acres (140 ha)), and Shovel (100 acres (40 ha)). There are over 200 lakes at Banner Marsh.[4]

## Flora and fauna

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### Flora

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The park borders the Illinois River and contains over 200 water bodies that serve as a freshwater marsh habitat for wildlife. The land contains scattered deep-water lakes, floodplain forests, levees, shallow marshes, and extensive grasslands.[7]

Some species of native flora include:[8] American lotus and Swamp milkweed

### Fauna

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Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is home to migrating and local waterfowl, fish, and other native wildlife.

Some of the native species include: waterfowl such as duck, goose, dove, quail, pheasant, rabbit, deer, and coyote.[9]

#### Birds

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Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is an important stopover site for many migratory birds. The Audubon Society has chosen it as an Important Bird Area.[10] Peoria Audubon Society has spotted over 200 species of birds.[4] It also supports breeding populations for wetland and grassland birds. Some of the species of birds include: American bittern, American white pelican, bald eagle, Bell's vireo, black rail, black-crowned night heron, blue-winged teal, bobolink, double-crested cormorant, great egret, henslow's sparrow, hooded merganser, king rail, least bittern, mallard, northern harrier, orchard oriole, osprey, pied-billed grebe, rough-legged hawk, sedge wren, shorebirds, short-eared owl, terns, and Virginia rail.

#### Butterflies

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Native plants provide a habitat for butterflies like Monarch Butterfly, Spangled Fritillary butterflies, and viceroys.

#### Fish

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Some of the species of fish include: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, crappie, bluegill, redear, green sunfish, and channel catfish.[11][12]

## References

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1. ^ "BANNER MARSH PONDS". I Fish Illinois. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
2. ^ "BANNER MARSH PONDS". I Fish Illinois. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
3. ^ "Banner Marsh". Retrieved March 7, 2023.
4. ^ a b c "Peoria Audubon - Local Birding Site, Banner Marsh". www.peoriaaudubon.org. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
5. ^ "About Banner Marsh SFWA". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
6. ^ "Banner Marsh". storymaps.arcgis.com. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
7. ^ "Important Bird Areas: Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area". National Audubon Society. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
8. ^ "Banner Marsh State Fish & Wildlife Area". Illinois River Road. Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
9. ^ "Hunter Fact Sheets". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
10. ^ "Important Bird Areas: Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area". National Audubon Society.
11. ^ "Fishing at Banner Marsh SFWA". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
12. ^ ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (2007). "STATUS OF THE CATFISH FISHERY" (PDF). Retrieved October 19, 2023.

* "Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* U.S. Geological Survey Map at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved January 14, 2023.

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Protected areas of Illinois

Federal|

| National Historic Sites and Parks
and national monument|

* Chicago Portage
* Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley
* Lincoln Home
* New Philadelphia
* Pullman

|

National Forest|

* Shawnee

National Wildlife Refuges|

* Chautauqua
* Crab Orchard
* Cypress Creek
* Driftless Area
* Emiquon
* Great River
* Hackmatack
* Kankakee
* Mark Twain
* Meredosia
* Middle Mississippi River
* Port Louisa
* Two Rivers
* Upper Mississippi River

National Grassland|

* Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

National Trails/National Heritage Area|

* Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area
* Illinois and Michigan Canal
* Lewis and Clark
* Mormon Pioneer
* Trail of Tears

National Natural Landmarks|

* List of National Natural Landmarks in Illinois

National Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Middle Fork Vermilion River

Wetlands of international importance|

* Cache River-Cypress Creek
* The Emiquon Complex
* Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
* Chiwaukee Illinois Beach Lake Plain (shared with Wisconsin)
* Upper Mississippi (shared)

State|

| State Parks|

* Apple River
* Argyle Lake
* Beall Woods
* Beaver Dam
* Buffalo Rock
* Castle Rock
* Cave-in-Rock
* Chain O'Lakes
* Channahon
* Delabar
* Dixon Springs
* Donnelley/Depue
* Ferne Clyffe
* Fort Massac
* Fox Ridge
* Gebhard Woods
* Giant City
* Hennepin Canal Parkway
* Horseshoe Lake
* Illini
* Illinois Beach
* James "Pate" Philip
* Jubilee College
* Kankakee River
* Lake Murphysboro
* Lincoln Trail
* Lowden
* Matthiessen
* Mississippi Palisades
* Moraine Hills
* Morrison-Rockwood
* Nauvoo
* Pere Marquette
* Red Hills
* Rock Cut
* Rock Island Trail
* Shabbona Lake
* Siloam Springs
* South Shore
* Starved Rock
* Walnut Point
* Weinberg-King
* White Pines Forest
* Wildlife Prairie
* William G. Stratton
* Wolf Creek

|

State Historic Sites|

* List of Illinois State Historic Sites (including, Cahokia World Heritage Site)

State Forests|

* Big River
* Hidden Springs
* Lowden-Miller
* Sand Ridge
* Trail of Tears

State
Recreation Areas|

* Clinton Lake
* Eagle Creek
* Eldon Hazlet
* Frank Holten
* Golconda Marina
* Johnson-Sauk Trail
* Kickapoo
* Lake Le-Aqua-Na
* Moraine View
* North Point Marina
* Prophetstown
* Pyramid
* Ramsey Lake
* Randolph County
* Sangchris Lake
* Stephen A. Forbes
* Washington County
* Wayne Fitzgerrell
* Weldon Springs
* William W. Powers

State Fish and
Wildlife Areas|

* Anderson Lake
* Baldwin Lake
* Banner Marsh
* Carlyle Lake
* Coffeen Lake
* Crawford County
* Des Plaines
* Double T
* Edward R. Madigan
* Green River
* Hamilton County
* Heidecke Lake
* Horseshoe Lake (Alexander County)
* Iroquois County
* Kaskaskia River
* Kinkaid Lake
* Kishwaukee River
* LaSalle Lake
* Mackinaw River
* Marshall
* Mautino
* Mazonia/Braidwood
* Mermet Lake
* Middle Fork
* Mississippi River
* Newton Lake
* Jim Edgar Panther Creek
* Peabody River
* Pekin Lake
* Powerton Lake
* Ray Norbut
* Rend Lake
* Rice Lake
* Sahara Woods
* Saline County
* Sam Dale Lake
* Sam Parr
* Sanganois
* Shelbyville
* Silver Springs
* Snakeden Hollow
* Spring Lake
* Ten Mile Creek
* Turkey Bluffs
* Union County
* Woodford

State Natural Areas|

* Cache River
* Franklin Creek
* Fults Hill Prairie
* Goose Lake Prairie
* Harry "Babe" Woodyard
* Illinois Caverns
* Kidd Lake
* Piney Creek Ravine
* Prairie Ridge
* Revis Hill Prairie
* Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak
* Sielbeck Forest
* Spitler Woods
* Volo Bog

State Trails|

* Mormon Trail
* Trail of Tears
* Tunnel Hill

Local|

| County Districts|

* Local forest and conservation districts

|

* Category
* Chicago
* East St. Louis
* Illinois Department of Natural Resources
* Commons

40°32′19″N 89°50′30″W﻿ / ﻿40.5385°N 89.8417°W﻿ / 40.5385; -89.8417

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