Nancy Jones, watercolor

links:
Restoring the Illinois River
Restoring a Connection with the Land

Emiquon, an hour south of Peoria on the Illinois River, is one of the largest floodplain restoration projects in the country outside the Florida Everglades.  It is the premiere demonstration site for The Nature Conservancy's work on the Illinois River and within the Upper Mississippi River system and may ultimately help guide large floodplain river restoration efforts around the world.  The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants and animals and natural communities that protect the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. 

Emiquon once was the jewel of the Illinois River, nurturing diverse and abundant communities of native plants and animals in the complex system of backwater wetlands and lakes. Hundreds of nearby archeological sites, including Native American villages and ceremonial and burial mounds, are a quiet testimony to the abundant natural resources that supported more than 500 generations of civilization in this area.

This exhibit features art by area artists participating in the artistic interpretation of the Emiquon Land Reclamation Project along the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois.

This exhibition is organized in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy of Illinois, The Illinois Natural History Survey, The Emiquon Project, Dickson Mounds,  and the Illinois State Museum.
The exhibition is held in conjunction with and in support of Western Illinois University’s 2007-2008 Campus Theme:  “Global Challenges, Personal Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability.”