About Us
Mission
Statement
Background
Members of the Board of the Indian Creek Watershed Project,
Ltd
The Indian Creek Watershed Project is Now 6 Years Old!
Since 2001 Nearly $2 Million in Projects Have Been Awarded in the Indian Creek Watershed.
• Seavey Creek Stream Restoration Project Value * $320,000
• Ravinia and Indian Creek Parks Project * $274,000
• Indian Creek Restoration in Lincolnshire * $156,000
• Longview Meadow Stream Repair in Long Grove * $92,000
• Reed-Turner Woodland Hillside Stabilization * $20,000
• Fremont Township Helps Stabilize an
Eroded
Creek
Mission Statement
The Indian Creek Watershed Project is comprised of watershed stakeholders
dedicated to the preservation, protection, and improvement of the
Indian Creek sub-watershed of the Des Plaines River. Our mission
is to realize a long-term vision for a healthy watershed and an
educated citizenry. Our goal is to educate while building partnerships
to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and preserve and restore
wetlands, woodlands, and other natural resources for future generations.
Background
The Indian Creek Watershed Project, Ltd. is a non-profit organization
formed in the summer of 2000 to promote water quality education
and improve conditions in the Indian Creek watershed and beyond.
Our effort is a regional one in the Chicago area within the Indian
Creek watershed, a sub-basin of the Des Plaines River in northeastern
Illinois. The Indian Creek Watershed Project (ICWP) was founded
to help improve water quality and reduce flooding via stakeholder
education and regional improvement projects. Our organization
is unique in Lake County because it is sub-basin oriented and
we are working across municipal and township boundaries. Our watershed
encompasses parts of the villages of Mundelein, Vernon Hills,
Hawthorn Woods, Long Grove, Lincolnshire, Lake Zurich, Kildeer,
Buffalo Grove, Indian Creek, and drains from portions of the townships
of Fremont, Ela, Vernon, and Libertyville.
The Indian Creek Watershed Project first began
grassroots stakeholder (meaning involving those living or working
in the watershed) planning for the Indian Creek subwatershed of
the Des Plaines River in the spring of 1999. The volunteer planning
was undertaken with the guidance of Conservation 2000's WI-IL
Upper Des Plaines Ecosystem Partnership, the USDA/IDNR's Resource
Planning and moved forward with technical support from watershed
planners at the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC).
Public meetings
were held regularly to inform stakeholders about water quality
and area resources, and to begin grassroots planning and support
for watershed improvements. Several watershed assessments have
been completed because of the strong stakeholder support: a lakes
assessment, a sub-basin wide stream inventory, Riverwatch data
collection for five sites, and currently a watershed implementation
plan. We have been the catalyst for watershed grants received
from the Lake County Stormwater Management's Watershed Management
Board (WMB) and the IEPA Clean Water Act 319 grants. By networking
with area governmental bodies and agencies, opportunities and
needs within the watershed are being identified.
Our
project will benefit governmental planning within the sub-basin
because we are working to improve water quality and other conditions
in the watershed through public outreach. Our all-volunteer force
is comprised of individuals with communication skills beyond boundaries,
expertise in sharing information, and a dedication to promoting
comprehensive watershed-wide stakeholder project opportunities.
We will share results and summaries of what assessments are gathered
so better water quality can be achieved. We hope ongoing efforts
will in turn lead to improved conditions for the Des Plaines River
and even have a ripple effect downstream.
Recognition
is building for the effectiveness of subwatershed efforts because
they educate local stakeholders and planners while building support
over multiple jurisdictions. There are more than 100 such efforts
in the state of Illinois. Many believe that sub-basin planning
efforts are the best way to help improve main stem river and lake
conditions because of public driven intervention and education
throughout the watershed. The hope is that other watershed efforts
will begin and collectively result in improved conditions for
major rivers, like the the Upper Des Plaines, the Illinois and
so on downstream.
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Members of the Board
of the Indian Creek Watershed Project, Ltd.
The Indian Creek Watershed Project Ltd. is a non-profit
503(c)3 organization which was formed in July of 2000 for the
benefit of the Indian Creek watershed. This organization was formed
to oversee the IEPA 319 grant received in April of 2001. The group
received nonprofit status in January 2001. Financial reports for
the Indian Creek Watershed Project Ltd. are available for inspection
at the Lake County Clerk’s Office at 18 N. County Street, Waukegan,
IL.
Ron Aidikonis
President of Depaul Supply Company Mundelein IL. a supplier of safety and silt fence. Ron has a professional background in the landscape industry with experience in native plants and erosion control. He resides in West Shore Park, a Diamond Lake community. Is an avid water skier and enjoys many hours on the lake with family and friends. He is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, who assists the U.S. Coast Guard in non-law enforcement programs such as public education, vessel safety checks, safety patrols, search and rescue, maritime security, and environmental protection. Ron believes that one should not only preserve but also improve the environment they enjoy.
Rosemary
T. Aitken
Aitken Associates, 10600 W. Higgins Road, Rosemont, IL 60018
President of Aitken Associates, a financial planning and wealth
management firm in business for over 24 years. Environment Committee
chair of Countryside Lake from 1994 to present. Past president
and current board member of the Illinois Lake Management Association.
Board member of the Indian Creek Watershed Project, Ltd. Coordinator/Director
of the Young Environmental Group of Countryside Lake. This is
a summer workshop for children ages 8 to 13. The purpose of the
workshop is to encourage the children with "hands-on activities"
that help them to better understand our watershed. As a central
resource the Indian Creek Watershed Project, Ltd. has the potential
to bring together all stakeholders with a common interest in preserving
and improving our watershed.
Roberta Attenhofer Bagot
Roberta has been an active volunteer in the community and local schools for the past 15 years. She has been involved in school referendum committees and has been the treasurer for various PTOs at Kildeer Countryside District 96 schools and Stevenson High School. In 2002, she was awarded “Volunteer of the Year”. With a degree in Biology, Roberta has always been a proponent of the environment. She has been a team member of SWALCO’s (Solid Waste Agency of Lake County) Earth Flag Program, educating students and teachers about waste reduction, reusing and recycling in Lake County schools. As a Girl Scout leader, she encouraged her troop to “make a difference” by practicing good environmental habits.
Currently, Roberta is a member of the Long Grove Bike Pathways committee, and is also an international courier, transporting bone marrow and stem cells for the National Marrow Donor Program. Roberta has lived in Long Grove, adjacent to Indian Creek, for 11 years. As the organizer of her neighborhood’s annual Earth Day clean-ups, she and her neighbors have removed from Indian Creek everything from upholstered arm chairs to car engines. Roberta hopes that ICWP can help the Long Grove corridor of Indian Creek once again become a viable waterway for residents to enjoy.
Greg
Denny
Operations Manager for Environmental Monitoring and Technologies,
responsible for day to day operations of one of the largest environmental
sampling and analysis firms in the Midwest. Greg has experience
in wastewater, stormwater, drinking water, groundwater, soil,
and product analysis and testing. Currently overseeing the operations
of the field staff and project managers. Greg is Vice president
of the Oak Terrace Homeowners association, Treasurer and founding
member of the Illinois Association of Environmental Laboratories,
a Member of the Board of Directors of the Chicagoland MuskyHunters.
Greg is a member of the Illinois Lakes Management Association,
the National Groundwater Association Greg also conducts sampling
on Diamond Lake for the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, and
stream sampling for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Ecowatch program.
Bill
Grinnell
Fremont Township Highway Commissioner, (22376 W. Erhart Road, Mundelein, IL 60060 ) and Indian Creek Watershed Project, Ltd. Treasurer. Bill has been the Fremont Township Highway Commissioner for the past 13 years. He’s worked with other governmental agencies and several Homeowner's associations to obtain grants for implementing and improving drainage and erosion control measures on various projects within Fremont Township. He is also: Treasurer for the Lake County Highway Commissioners Association, Member of the Northern Illinois Highway Commissioners and Illinois Highway Commissioners Associations. He has over 20 year's involvement in agriculture and agricultural related practices. His record shows he is dedicated to networking and educational efforts within the township and region to promote better understanding of urban resource concerns, watershed drainage issues and effective road systems.
Jeri Swanson
Jeri has been Vice-President of her family
owned business for 25 years. Swanson's Spas and Saunas (1077 S.
Rand Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047) specializes in custom residential
spa and sauna installations, maintenance and repairs. Jeri has
been a resident of Sylvan Lake for 15 years and is current President
of the Sylvan Lake Improvement Association and environmental chairperson
for their board. It is Sylvan Lake's goal to achieve better water
quality through best management practices in their woodland areas,
shorelines, and the lake itself by controlling non-native invasive
plant species, aquatic weeds and non-native fish populations.
An IEPA 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant was awarded to Sylvan
Lake in 2001 to restore a streambank in Maple Park leading into
Sylvan Lake from a detention pond at Countryside Lake. The grant
was completed in partnership with the Fremont Township Highway
Department and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission.
Tori
Trauscht
Tori is president of the ICWP and is currently engaged in promoting public awareness and support for the recently completed Indian Creek Watershed Plan. The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission developed the plan and it is due to be adopted by the Lake County Board in 2008. As administrator of over twelve grants to restore natural areas in the Indian Creek watershed, her grant projects have included restoring the sedge meadow and tributaries at Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve, and completing several other projects to improve stream corridors, lakeshores and wetland complexes along Indian Creek. She is employed with Witness Tree Native Landscapes, a natural landscape restoration company. She lives in Mundelein near Diamond Lake.
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Local Entities Are Actively Working to Help Restore Riparian Areas
look at all the projects currently underway here...
Vernon Hills to Stabilize Portions of the Seavey and Harvey Lake
Vernon Hills will be restoring Seavey Ditch from the Arbortheater to Route 45 near Prairie Road. The Seavey, also known as Hawthorn Drain is the main stream that runs from Butterfield Road past Lake Charles and Big and Little Bear Lakes all the way to Route 45 where it joins with Indian Creek by the Lincolnshire downtown area. This project will be funded by a State and Tribal Assistance grant (STAG) with oversight from the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission. Vernon Hills is also actively working to improve Harvey Lake. The Army Corps of Engineers has committed $260,000 to mitigate shoreline erosion, remove invasive plants, reintroduce beneficial native plants, and enhance water quality. Village staff are meeting with area residents to help educate during these projects. Volunteers are welcome to help on workdays.
Sylvan Lake is Improving Water Quality
Sylvan Lake homeowners are focused on helping their lake and community. From Carp-O-Ramas (fishing competitions) to coordinated weekends to control buckthorn and other invasive species, this community has mobilized to improve their lake and the resources around it.
By the end of 2004, Sylvan had completed four grant projects totalling more than $185,000 in improvements for their lake and waterways. Erosion has considerably lessened in problem areas around Sylvan Lake because of these efforts.
This past Spring, a new $275,000 IEPA 319 grant was awarded to Sylvan Lake Homeowners and Fremont Township for restoring streambank, wetland, and savanna areas and rebuilding the spillway by 2006.Other projects have been paid for by the community. A manhole and tile system was upgraded to control sediment, and deep rooted native plants were added in many areas.
Between these projects, avid community education, and hundreds of volunteer hours from Sylvan Lake residents, stormwater and lake quality are improving here.
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Village of Lincolnshire Restores Downtown Stream:
The Village of Lincolnshire received funding under the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Section 319 Grant to restore of a portion of Indian Creek located in what is soon to be the Village of Lincolnshire’s downtown area. Grant funding and matching monies from the village will help with bank stabilization, reforestation of areas that have been invaded by exotics (buckthorn and garlic mustard), and native plantings in the creek channel and to aid detention areas. Educating the public on the watershed and the importance of Best Management Practices during the downtown redevelopment was also a goal of the grant. The project is due to begin after all plans are finalized and permitted.
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Long Grove Park District Restores Stream Corridor
with Help from the Staff at Shedd Aquarium:
The Long Grove Park District was awarded a State and Tribal Assistance grant (STAG) from the USEPA in 
December 2004 to restore a stream corridor and buffer along the south branch of Indian Creek near Route 22 and Route 83. Contractors and volunteers during the project have helped remove huge log jams and invasive trees to lighten the canopy so that many native trees and shrubs could be planted to restabilize the stream corridor and upgrade the habitat for wildlife. Several volunteer groups have helped during the project including Cub Scout Pack 64, Eagle Scouts from Troop 79, students from Quest Academy, and Mundelein High School volunteers. This year the park district was also fortunate to have 30 volunteer staff from Shedd Aquarium’s CAM group come out and help do trees planting and clearing in October. This occurred thanks to a lead from the Chicago Wilderness staff that connected ICWP with the Shedd Conservation Action Month group (CAM). These Shedd staff work to make a difference in Chicagoland communities each year. “We like to get our feet wet, outside too, on projects like this where we can also learn restoration techniques from a variety of perspectives,” said Hilary Corcoran, Shedd Animal Healthcare Technologist and CAM coordinator. Between the Lake Co. Stormwater Management Commission, Chicago Wilderness, Shedd staff, scouts, high schools and the Long Grove Park District, the education from this project will be realized over many watersheds.
Indian Creek Watershed Project, Ltd Further Stabilizes
Reed-Turner Woodland Uphill Streams with Rain Gardens
Last year, the Indian Creek Watershed Project was awarded $20,000 from the Conservation Fund’s Northeastern Illinois Wetlands Conservation Account (NEIWCA) to help provide erosion protection for the gullies upstream from the recently restored sedge meadow at Reed-Turner Woodland.The sedge meadow restoration effort has been a very important project to the Indian Creek Watershed Project because it helped greatly improve the wonderful Reed-Turner Woodland Illinois Nature Preserve, one of the gems of our watershed.
This project involved clearing weedy trees, herbiciding exotics, burning brush and debris, building a rock path, seeding in uphill drainage areas, and the construction of two rain gardens to help slow down the water in this flood prone section of Reed-Turner Woodland. Shallow rain gardens (pictured here) were dug in winter and then planted in the Spring so that more water could infiltrate into the soil via the deep rooted planted vegetation. Education of area neighbors about the importance of rain gardens for erosion and flood control is also part of the project as well as a bird and butterfly inventory. We invite you to come see how the rain gardens work after the next Spring or Summer rains establish them at Reed-Turner, then you’ll want to build one in your yard!
Fremont Township Helps Stabilize an
Eroded
Creek in Unincorporated Mundelein
In unincorporated Fremont Township a creek downstream from recent development in the West Shoreland neighborhood has been gradually eroding from high water volumes, upsteam development, and obstructions in the stream corridor. Fremont Township Highway Department received Stormwater Management Watershed Management Board funding to stabilize the stream walls with rock, erosion control fabric and native plants. 
Applied Ecological Services worked this past summer to remove low quality trees along the stream. This will promote better infiltration and allow for stabilization. Several neighbor meetings were required to educate residents about the project purpose and the process of the work.
(see SMC’s website for a full list of all Indian Creek projects, www.co.lake.il.us/smc/planning/indiancreek
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