We built it, now you can visit it!

This is a reminder that you can visit one of the newest Smart Wetlands and the first in Marshall County. The public is invited to two sessions on June 29, 2023. The first session is from 11 am and 2 pm on June 29, 2023. It is designed to interest farmers, farmland owners, and agribusiness professionals. A free ribeye sandwich lunch will be served at noon, with presentations on various sustainable agriculture practices and an update on progress to get a US Farm Bill passed this session. In addition the participants will be able to tour the wetland and learn why this edge-of-field practice is so important to improving water quality in Illinois.

Marshall County Smart Wetland, May 25, 2023

Later from 4–7 pm, the public, conservation professionals, and hunters interested are urged to attend. This session is focused on showing how this practice with native marsh vegetation can provide habitat for wildlife, waterfowl, pollinators, and recreational opportunities for landowners on their property. Marshall-Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District and Wetlands Initiative staff and other conservation professionals will be on hand to answer questions. Snacks and drinks will be served.

Smart Wetlands are specifically located and custom-designed constructed wetlands to fit within today’s farming operation to remove nutrients. This wetland was constructed in September 2021 and is now fully operational. MK Farm Drainage Specialists built the 1.83-acre wetland at McCuskey Farms under the direction of the Marshall-Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District (M-P SWCD) and the Wetlands Initiative (TWI) through their Smart Wetlands program. Martin McCuskey owns the farm, and Rex Newton is the farmer.

The Smart Wetland installation site is located west of Henry, IL, near the intersection of Marshall County Road 500 East and County Road 1400 North, along the Scholes Branch Creek. To ensure you get to the field day easily, here is a Google Maps link, driving directions, and a map.

From the East thru Henry, IL
Drive west on Western Ave, (County Road 1300 N) about 7 miles
Turn right (northbound) onto Yankee Lane (Country Road 500 E) about 1 mile
Turn left (westbound) onto County Road 1400 N and travel approximately 2 miles to
Turn right onto County Road 500 E and follow the signs to the event entrance

From the South via State Highway 29
Take Highway 29 to County Road 1100 North – (you will pass thru Henry)
Turn left onto 1100 North and drive approximately 14 miles
Turn right onto County Road 500 E and follow the signs to the event entrance

From the North via State Highway 29
Take Highway 29 southbound thru Putnam to County Road 1100 North (this road is just north of Henry)
Turn right onto 1100 North and follow that road for about 14 miles
Turn right onto County Road 500 E  and follow the signs to the event entrance

The red dot on the map above is the site of the June 29, 2023 Marshall County Smart Wetland field day. Two sessions will be held. The first from 11 am to 2 pm and later that day from 4 to 7 pm.

We're having a field day!

The Wetlands Initiative’s Smart Wetland Team along with our partners Marshall-Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District and McCuskey Farms invite you to attend a field day on June 29, 2023, at the first Smart Wetland in Marshall County, IL.

This wetland was built during the COVID shutdown in 2021 and now that it is operational, the partners are inviting the public to stop by on June 29, 2023 to stop be and see one of the newest Smart Wetlands.

May 30, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
See How a Smart Wetland Reduces Excess Nutrients from Illinois Waters
Marshall County, IL -- Two years ago, this Marshall County farm field looked like most of Illinois’ 12
million acres of tile-drained cropland. But, in September 2021, a local contractor moved over 6,000 cubic
yards of earth here to create a Smart Wetland. You are welcome to see the resulting tile-treatment
wetland at a field day on Thursday, June 29, and learn about the wetland’s naturally occurring processes
that break down the nitrate in the ag tile drainage before the water flows into nearby water bodies.

Smart Wetlands are specifically located and custom-designed constructed wetlands to fit within today’s
farming operation to remove nutrients. MK Farm Drainage Specialists built the 1.83-acre wetland at
McCuskey Farms under the direction of the Marshall-Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District (M-P
SWCD) and the Wetlands Initiative (TWI) through their Smart Wetlands program. Martin McCluskey
owns the farm, and Rex Newton has farmed it for over 30 years.

The free field day is co-hosted by TWI, McCuskey Farms and M-P SWCD. Rex Newton, staff from M-P
SWCD and TWI, along with other organizations that support sustainable ag and conservation practices
will be on hand to answer questions The public, especially farmers, farmland owners, and agribusiness
professionals, are invited to visit the site between 11 am and 2 pm on June 29. A free lunch will be
served at noon along with presentations on various sustainable concepts and an update on the US Farm
Bill.

In addition, there will be an event later in the day from 4–7 pm for the public, conservation
professionals, and hunters interested in seeing how this practice with native marsh vegetation can
provide habitat for wildlife, waterfowl, and pollinators and recreational opportunities for landowners on
their property. M-P SWCD and TWI staff, along with other conservation professionals will be on hand to answer questions. Snacks and drinks will be served.

The Smart Wetland installation site is located west of Henry, IL, near the intersection of Marshall County Road 500 East and County Road 1400 North, along the Scholes Branch Creek.
Media Advisory: To arrange interviews with Rex Newton, farmer; Jill Kostel, wetland designer; or Jill Ketter, M-P SWCD, please get in touch with Jean McGuire, TWI Field Outreach Specialist, 515-520-3036, or Stacy Williamson, Marshall-Putnam SWCD Administrative Coordinator at 309-364-3913 x3. In addition, details about the field day will be available at: https://www.smartwetlands.farm/smartwetland5

This event is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 2022-38640- 37486 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number LNC22-465. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

We're hiring a Freelance social media manager

Applications are being accepted through June 30, 2023, for a social media manager to administer the Smart Wetlands Program outreach and education campaigns on its social media platforms. The Smart Wetlands program is focused on designing and implementing tile-treatment wetlands to reduce nutrient runoff from cropland. The ideal candidate will have a strong background, knowledge, and experience with Illinois agricultural, farming, and conservation practices.

Full details are available here.

The resident “Three Bachelors” taking a leisurely swim around the Smart Wetland at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, IL.

More Water Runs to It

Even though the Smart Wetland at Feather Prairie Farm was constructed in August 2022, it is now fully operational after another ag tile drainage line was added to it earlier this month.

For those not familiar with agricultural tile drainage, it is a system that removes excess water from the soil under farmland. Removing excess water allows for easier planting and harvesting, improved soil conditions for crop growth, and allows farmers more control over scheduling fieldwork.

The second line was installed at the west end of the wetland. It was connected to tile lines in the field south of the wetland. There were a few surprises. Seven unmapped tile lines were discovered in the process of connecting the tile main to the wetland. However, Trent, Travis, and Titus from Double S Tiling quickly connected them to the system, and soon more water was trickling into the wetland.

Here are some photo highlights of the process.

The crew started at the wetland by installing the solid outlet pipe (blue). Then they connected it to the beginning of the black, plastic, corrugated, and perforated pipe that would be buried from that location across a field and connected to the main ag drainage tile line that would supply the water that will flow into the wetland.

Bird’s eye view of the Double S crew laying perforated corrugated plastic pipe from the wetland to the main tile line in the nearby field.

The pickup truck at the top of the photo is pulling a spool of perforated, corrugated plastic tile. The tiling machine (partially parked on the grass) digs the channel and inserts the tile into that channel. The machine in the rear then pushes the earth back into the channel covering the newly deposited tile.

The crew then used a backhoe and shovels to access the original clay tile line to prepare it for connection to the newly-laid plastic tile line.

Titus and Travis connect the original clay tile system to the newly laid tile line and within minutes water was flowing into the wetland.

It is starting to look like a Smart Wetland!

Six months ago, we worked with several partners to build two wetlands at Feather Prairie Farm near Dwight, IL. The construction process was impressive. Over 5,000 cubic yards of earth were moved and precisely shaped into a wetland in a few days. Our partners at the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association, the builders of most of our wetlands, make it look so easy. However, looking at all that newly moved soil doesn’t allow the wetland’s actual shape to be easily seen up close or even from above. However, once water fills a new wetland, its features are clear.

Since all of our wetlands are designed and built to account for the existing landscape at a particular location, Dr. Jill Kostel, our wetland engineer, uses her expertise to develop a plan that takes advantage of the existing landscape. In the case of the Feather Prairie Farms wetland, the right design required a much narrower curving layout to be built than any of our previous wetlands. In addition, it includes a couple of islands to ensure that the nitrogen-laden ag tile drainage water moves through the wetland slowly enough to encourage the breakdown of nitrate.

This photo was taken on Feb. 18, 2023 at Feather Prairie Farm near Dwight, IL. The Smart Wetland is the large waterbody in the center of the photo. The small waterbody in the upper left is a small pond and the darker area in the foreground of the photo shows the smaller second wetland scrape.

While the wetland was built in August of 2022, there are still finishing touches being added in 2023. Currently, one tile system is draining into the wetland from the east (left side of photo), and another system will be connected to the wetland from the southwest (right side of photo) in the next few months. Once that drainage system is linked, the wetland could treat water from 60 acres of cropland.

The wetland and buffer have been frost-seeded. In late May or early June, various  water-loving plant plugs and bulbs will be installed in the wetland. As the bulbs and plants grow and get established, the water levels will be slowly increased. These plants will support the bacteria needed to break down the nitrate. We will be providing updates on those changes as they occur this year. Also, we will be doing another blog post about the second wetland (dark area in the foreground of the photo) at this location in the future.

Feather Prairie Farms wetlands immediately after construction, August 2022.

Feather Prairie Farms before wetland construction, July 2022.

Jean McGuire is the Field Outreach Specialist for our program and the face of TWI in the counties where we work. She works with our partners to identify landowners who may have an interest in building a Smart Wetland on their property. She was raised with seven siblings on a row crop-livestock farm which they now co-own and farm.

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