Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area
Encyclopedia
The Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,140-acre (4.6 km²) state park located near Griggsville
in Pike County, Illinois
. It borders on the Illinois River
and is primarily made of steeply sloped bluffland that is part of the river's valley. Heavily wooded, this region is managed for whitetail deer hunting. The Ray Norbut complex also includes Big Blue Island, a 100-acre (0.4 km²) riparian island in the Illinois River. The park is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
(IDNR).
and hickory
temperate hardwood forest. It centers on Napoleon Hollow, a steep-sided ravine cut into the limestone bluff, that discharges rainwater from the forest down into the Illinois River. Whitetail deer and a wide variety of small mammals thrive on the acorn mast
generated by the oak/hickory forest. Arborists took core samples from two white oak trees in 2001, and found that one tree was 378 years old and the other one 322 years old.
Big Blue Island is wooded with wetland trees such as the cottonwood, silver maple
, and willow
. The island, and the mainland river banks and bluffs surrounding it, are noted wintering spots of the bald eagle
, which thrives on the Asian carps and bottom-feeding fish that live in the Illinois River.
Another village site within the state park, Griggsville Landing
, met a similar fate. Although the landing served steamboats during the decades prior to the Civil War, the landing could not survive the triumph of railroad technology over steamboating. A small factory ruin, the Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
(circa 1850), survives as a reminder of the vanished village.
The state of Illinois acquired 860 acres (3.5 km²) of the area in and around Napoleon Hollow in 1970, dedicating the land to hunting as the Pike County Conservation Area. The conservation area was enlarged by a further 280 acres (1.1 km²) in 1988. IDNR changed the name of the park from Pike County Conservation Area to Ray Norbut Fish and Wildlife Area in 1995 to honor a longtime head of the state parks division of the Department.
(IDOT) project of the 1980s, meant to create the first four-lane, divided-highway link between western Illinois (particularly the Quincy, Illinois
area) and the U.S. Interstate Highway System
. IDOT engineers decided that the best place for the freeway to cross the Illinois River was through the Pike County Conservation Area, with the four-lane highway using Napoleon Hollow as a ramp to achieve the gradient necessary to mount the bluffs that border the Illinois River's western edge.
Environmentalists protested the use of the historic hollow and its bald-eagle habitat for construction purposes. However, Illinois Governor James R. Thompson
decided to follow the engineers' recommendations and build the Western Illinois segment of Interstate 72 through Napoleon Hollow.
As a result of this decision, what is now the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area is bifurcated by Interstate 72. The interstate's Exit 35, at Griggsville, provides access to the state park.
Griggsville, Illinois
Griggsville is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,258 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Griggsville is located at ....
in Pike County, Illinois
Pike County, Illinois
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 16,430, which is a decrease of 5.5% from 17,384 in 2000...
. It borders on the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
and is primarily made of steeply sloped bluffland that is part of the river's valley. Heavily wooded, this region is managed for whitetail deer hunting. The Ray Norbut complex also includes Big Blue Island, a 100-acre (0.4 km²) riparian island in the Illinois River. The park is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
(IDNR).
Ecosystems
The mainland section of the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area is made up of Illinois River bluffland oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
temperate hardwood forest. It centers on Napoleon Hollow, a steep-sided ravine cut into the limestone bluff, that discharges rainwater from the forest down into the Illinois River. Whitetail deer and a wide variety of small mammals thrive on the acorn mast
Mast (botany)
Mast is the "fruit of forest trees like acorns and other nuts". It is also defined as "the fruit of trees such as beech, and other forms of Cupuliferae". Alternatively, it can also refer to "a heap of nuts"....
generated by the oak/hickory forest. Arborists took core samples from two white oak trees in 2001, and found that one tree was 378 years old and the other one 322 years old.
Big Blue Island is wooded with wetland trees such as the cottonwood, 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...
, and willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
. The island, and the mainland river banks and bluffs surrounding it, are noted wintering spots of the bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, which thrives on the Asian carps and bottom-feeding fish that live in the Illinois River.
History
Archeological evidence indicates that the Napoleon Hollow area has been used by hunters for over 7,000 years. The region's obvious resources attracted Euro-American settlement, with frontiersmen founding the village of Big Blue Hollow at the southern end of the state park about 1840. After several decades of life as a local center for hunting, fishing, and grain-milling, Big Blue Hollow was bypassed by Illinois railroads, and the hamlet dwindled out of existence.Another village site within the state park, Griggsville Landing
Griggsville Landing, Illinois
Griggsville Landing, also known as Phillips Landing or Phillips Ferry, was located in Flint Township, just south of Valley City, Illinois. It is a former town site on the Illinois River in Pike County. The town was a steamboat stop which began sometime in the 1830s...
, met a similar fate. Although the landing served steamboats during the decades prior to the Civil War, the landing could not survive the triumph of railroad technology over steamboating. A small factory ruin, the Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln
The Griggsville Landing Lime Kiln is located near village of Valley City, Illinois in Pike County. The periodic lime kiln is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation it gained in August 1999. It is actually within the boundaries of the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area...
(circa 1850), survives as a reminder of the vanished village.
The state of Illinois acquired 860 acres (3.5 km²) of the area in and around Napoleon Hollow in 1970, dedicating the land to hunting as the Pike County Conservation Area. The conservation area was enlarged by a further 280 acres (1.1 km²) in 1988. IDNR changed the name of the park from Pike County Conservation Area to Ray Norbut Fish and Wildlife Area in 1995 to honor a longtime head of the state parks division of the Department.
Controversy
The Central Illinois Expressway, now part of Interstate 72, was a key Illinois Department of TransportationIllinois Department of Transportation
The Illinois Department of Transportation is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel tax and federal funding to local juridictions in the...
(IDOT) project of the 1980s, meant to create the first four-lane, divided-highway link between western Illinois (particularly the Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
area) and the U.S. Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
. IDOT engineers decided that the best place for the freeway to cross the Illinois River was through the Pike County Conservation Area, with the four-lane highway using Napoleon Hollow as a ramp to achieve the gradient necessary to mount the bluffs that border the Illinois River's western edge.
Environmentalists protested the use of the historic hollow and its bald-eagle habitat for construction purposes. However, Illinois Governor James R. Thompson
James R. Thompson
James Robert Thompson, Jr. , also known as Big Jim Thompson, was the 37th and longest serving Governor of the US state of Illinois...
decided to follow the engineers' recommendations and build the Western Illinois segment of Interstate 72 through Napoleon Hollow.
As a result of this decision, what is now the Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area is bifurcated by Interstate 72. The interstate's Exit 35, at Griggsville, provides access to the state park.