North Fork Embarras River
Encyclopedia
The North Fork Embarras River is a 64 miles (103 km) stream which originates in Edgar County
, Illinois
, and flows through Clark, Crawford and Jasper
counties. Its confluence
with the Embarras River
is located near the town of Ste. Marie
in Jasper County. It is a major tributary to the Embarras River. The North Fork's main tributary is Panther Creek, located in Jasper County.
The area has seen extensive agriculture and is also an area rich in oil
. There are many oil wells and pumps along the river although the peak of oil production in the area occurred in the 1930s.
The surrounding area is largely agricultural, and river stages change dramatically due to agricultural runoff. It flows through a mostly wooded corridor and some river bottom farmland. The stream bed is composed mostly of sand with some glacial till, hard clay, and mud. Fallen trees and log jams are common. Pools and rivers may change drastically after heavy flooding. Large sandbars are not uncommon. There is some silt
ation and mild to extreme bank erosion in areas due to agriculture. There are very isolated occurrences of sandstone outcroppings along the stream bed and banks.
The mean daily discharge for the North Fork is 698 cuft/s, although it may reach a flow rate of over 6000 cuft/s during floodstage.
, turkey
, coyote
s, fox
es, squirrel
s and raccoon
s are common along the corridor, and there have been sightings of bobcat
s.
Several mountain lion sightings have been reported over the years, though no evidence has been found to support such claims. A widely popular story among the locals is of the "Wild Woman of North Fork" which can be heard screaming sometimes late at night. This may in fact be the call of a mountain lion which often sounds like a woman crying, although bobcats and foxes may make similar noises. The North Fork's main tributary is named Panther Creek, suggesting that at one time mountain lions may have inhabited the area.
Beaver
, otter
and mink
were nearly trapped out in the 1950s and 60s, but all three have made successful comebacks due to less trapping, habitat recovery and reintroductions. Common birds include waterfowl such as wood duck
s and wading birds such as great blue heron
s and sandpipers. The river corridor and surrounding wetlands are important for migrating geese. There are numerous woodpecker
s and songbirds. There are several common birds of prey including red-tailed hawks, great horned owls and barred owls. Bald eagles have been sighted.
Due to the North Fork's variety of stream bed substrates and gradients, there is a wider variety of fish species than may be found in other streams in the region. Several species of Darters (genus Etheostoma and Percina) are common. Minnows include sand shiners, steelcolor shiners, silverjaw minnows and brook silversides. Blackstripe topminnows and mosquitofish are very common along the margins. Madtoms, bullhead and channel catfish are also common. Several sunfish species including long-eared sunfish, crappie, largemouth bass and spotted bass are also found. Non-game fish such as white suckers, common carp, and long-nosed and short-nosed gar are numerous.
The dominant trees along the river's edge are sycamore
and cottonwood, along with silver maple
, sugar maple
, sassafras
and mulberry
. The surrounding bottomland is dominated by shagbark hickory
and white oak
.
due to agriculture. Less productive bottomland fields are being reverted back to brush land and wetlands, and shallow ponds have been created for migrating waterfowl. These improvements to the surrounding landscape will ultimately improve the overall condition and diversity of the system.
Edgar County, Illinois
Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 18,576, which is a decrease of 5.7% from 19,704 in 2000...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and flows through Clark, Crawford and Jasper
Jasper County, Illinois
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counties. Its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the Embarras River
Embarras River
The Embarras River is a tributary of the Wabash River in southeastern Illinois in the United States. The waters of the Embarras reach the Gulf of Mexico via the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers. The river drains a watershed of approximately in an agricultural region...
is located near the town of Ste. Marie
Ste. Marie, Illinois
Ste. Marie is a village in Jasper County, Illinois, along the Embarras River. The population was 261 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ste. Marie is located at ....
in Jasper County. It is a major tributary to the Embarras River. The North Fork's main tributary is Panther Creek, located in Jasper County.
The area has seen extensive agriculture and is also an area rich in oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
. There are many oil wells and pumps along the river although the peak of oil production in the area occurred in the 1930s.
The surrounding area is largely agricultural, and river stages change dramatically due to agricultural runoff. It flows through a mostly wooded corridor and some river bottom farmland. The stream bed is composed mostly of sand with some glacial till, hard clay, and mud. Fallen trees and log jams are common. Pools and rivers may change drastically after heavy flooding. Large sandbars are not uncommon. There is some silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
ation and mild to extreme bank erosion in areas due to agriculture. There are very isolated occurrences of sandstone outcroppings along the stream bed and banks.
The mean daily discharge for the North Fork is 698 cuft/s, although it may reach a flow rate of over 6000 cuft/s during floodstage.
Ecology
There is a diversity of wildlife along the North Fork Embarras River. DeerDeer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s and raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s are common along the corridor, and there have been sightings of bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s.
Several mountain lion sightings have been reported over the years, though no evidence has been found to support such claims. A widely popular story among the locals is of the "Wild Woman of North Fork" which can be heard screaming sometimes late at night. This may in fact be the call of a mountain lion which often sounds like a woman crying, although bobcats and foxes may make similar noises. The North Fork's main tributary is named Panther Creek, suggesting that at one time mountain lions may have inhabited the area.
Beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
and mink
Mink
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
were nearly trapped out in the 1950s and 60s, but all three have made successful comebacks due to less trapping, habitat recovery and reintroductions. Common birds include waterfowl such as wood duck
Wood Duck
The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.-Description:...
s and wading birds such as great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s and sandpipers. The river corridor and surrounding wetlands are important for migrating geese. There are numerous woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s and songbirds. There are several common birds of prey including red-tailed hawks, great horned owls and barred owls. Bald eagles have been sighted.
Due to the North Fork's variety of stream bed substrates and gradients, there is a wider variety of fish species than may be found in other streams in the region. Several species of Darters (genus Etheostoma and Percina) are common. Minnows include sand shiners, steelcolor shiners, silverjaw minnows and brook silversides. Blackstripe topminnows and mosquitofish are very common along the margins. Madtoms, bullhead and channel catfish are also common. Several sunfish species including long-eared sunfish, crappie, largemouth bass and spotted bass are also found. Non-game fish such as white suckers, common carp, and long-nosed and short-nosed gar are numerous.
The dominant trees along the river's edge are sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
and cottonwood, along with silver maple
Silver Maple
The silver maple —also called creek maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, or white maple—is a species of maple native to eastern North America in the eastern United States and Canada...
, sugar maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
, sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
and mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
. The surrounding bottomland is dominated by shagbark hickory
Shagbark Hickory
Carya ovata, the Shagbark Hickory, is a common hickory in the eastern United States and southeast Canada. It is a large deciduous tree, growing up to 27 m tall, and will live up to 200 years. Mature Shagbarks are easy to recognize because, as their name implies, they have shaggy bark...
and white oak
White oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
.
Conservation
Over the past few years efforts have been made to cut back on erosionErosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
due to agriculture. Less productive bottomland fields are being reverted back to brush land and wetlands, and shallow ponds have been created for migrating waterfowl. These improvements to the surrounding landscape will ultimately improve the overall condition and diversity of the system.