Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area

State park in Illinois, United States

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)

Location within IllinoisShow map of IllinoisBanner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area (the United States)Show map of the United States
Location	Fulton County, Illinois
Nearest city	Canton, Illinois
Area	4,363 acres (1,766 ha)
Governing body	Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park covering 4,363 acres (1,766 ha) in Fulton County, Illinois, United States.

History

From 1910 to 1958, the former bottomland lake and marsh were leveed and drained for farming.

From the late 1880s to the mid-1980s, approximately 90% of the site was strip-mined for coal.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources purchased the land in the 1980s. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a reclamation project that was completed in May 2003. The project optimized the habitat for wildlife (fish and waterfowl), improved flood control, and increased food and cover for wildlife.

The three major lakes are Johnson (600 acres (240 ha)), Wheel (350 acres (140 ha)), and Shovel (100 acres (40 ha)). There are over 200 lakes at Banner Marsh.

Flora and fauna

Flora

The park borders the Illinois River and contains over 200 water bodies that serve as a freshwater marsh habitat for wildlife. The land contains scattered deep-water lakes, floodplain forests, levees, shallow marshes, and extensive grasslands.

Some species of native flora include: American lotus and Swamp milkweed

Fauna

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is home to migrating and local waterfowl, fish, and other native wildlife.

Some of the native species include: waterfowl such as duck, goose, dove, quail, pheasant, rabbit, deer, and coyote.

Birds

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is an important stopover site for many migratory birds. The Audubon Society has chosen it as an Important Bird Area. Peoria Audubon Society has spotted over 200 species of birds. It also supports breeding populations for wetland and grassland birds. Some of the species of birds include: American bittern, American white pelican, bald eagle, Bell's vireo, black rail, black-crowned night heron, blue-winged teal, bobolink, double-crested cormorant, great egret, henslow's sparrow, hooded merganser, king rail, least bittern, mallard, northern harrier, orchard oriole, osprey, pied-billed grebe, rough-legged hawk, sedge wren, shorebirds, short-eared owl, terns, and Virginia rail.

Butterflies

Native plants provide a habitat for butterflies like Monarch Butterfly, Spangled Fritillary butterflies, and viceroys.

Fish

Some of the species of fish include: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, crappie, bluegill, redear, green sunfish, and channel catfish.

References

"BANNER MARSH PONDS". I Fish Illinois. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"BANNER MARSH PONDS". I Fish Illinois. Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"Banner Marsh". Retrieved March 7, 2023.
^ "Peoria Audubon - Local Birding Site, Banner Marsh". www.peoriaaudubon.org. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
"About Banner Marsh SFWA". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"Banner Marsh". storymaps.arcgis.com. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"Important Bird Areas: Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area". National Audubon Society. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"Banner Marsh State Fish & Wildlife Area". Illinois River Road. Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"Hunter Fact Sheets". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
"Important Bird Areas: Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area". National Audubon Society.
"Fishing at Banner Marsh SFWA". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES (2007). "STATUS OF THE CATFISH FISHERY" (PDF). Retrieved October 19, 2023.

"Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2009.

External links

U.S. Geological Survey Map at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved January 14, 2023.

Protected areas of Illinois

Federal

National Historic Sites and Parks and national monument	Chicago Portage Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Lincoln Home New Philadelphia Pullman
National Forest	Shawnee
National Wildlife Refuges	Chautauqua Crab Orchard Cypress Creek Driftless Area Emiquon Great River Hackmatack Kankakee Mark Twain Meredosia Middle Mississippi River Port Louisa Two Rivers Upper Mississippi River
National Grassland	Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
National Trails/National Heritage Area	Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Illinois and Michigan Canal Lewis and Clark Mormon Pioneer Trail of Tears
National Natural Landmarks	List of National Natural Landmarks in Illinois
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Middle Fork Vermilion River
Wetlands of international importance	Cache River-Cypress Creek The Emiquon Complex Dixon Waterfowl Refuge Chiwaukee Illinois Beach Lake Plain (shared with Wisconsin) Upper Mississippi (shared)

State

State Parks	Apple River Argyle Lake Beall Woods Beaver Dam Buffalo Rock Castle Rock Cave-in-Rock Chain O'Lakes Channahon Delabar Dixon Springs Donnelley/Depue Ferne Clyffe Fort Massac Fox Ridge Gebhard Woods Giant City Hennepin Canal Parkway Horseshoe Lake Illini Illinois Beach James "Pate" Philip Jubilee College Kankakee River Lake Murphysboro Lincoln Trail Lowden Matthiessen Mississippi Palisades Moraine Hills Morrison-Rockwood Nauvoo Pere Marquette Red Hills Rock Cut Rock Island Trail Shabbona Lake Siloam Springs South Shore Starved Rock Walnut Point Weinberg-King White Pines Forest Wildlife Prairie William G. Stratton Wolf Creek
State Historic Sites	List of Illinois State Historic Sites (including, Cahokia World Heritage Site)
State Forests	Big River Hidden Springs Lowden-Miller Sand Ridge Trail of Tears
State Recreation Areas	Clinton Lake Eagle Creek Eldon Hazlet Frank Holten Golconda Marina Johnson-Sauk Trail Kickapoo Lake Le-Aqua-Na Moraine View North Point Marina Prophetstown Pyramid Ramsey Lake Randolph County Sangchris Lake Stephen A. Forbes Washington County Wayne Fitzgerrell Weldon Springs William W. Powers
State Fish and Wildlife Areas	Anderson Lake Baldwin Lake Banner Marsh Carlyle Lake Coffeen Lake Crawford County Des Plaines Double T Edward R. Madigan Green River Hamilton County Heidecke Lake Horseshoe Lake (Alexander County) Iroquois County Kaskaskia River Kinkaid Lake Kishwaukee River LaSalle Lake Mackinaw River Marshall Mautino Mazonia/Braidwood Mermet Lake Middle Fork Mississippi River Newton Lake Jim Edgar Panther Creek Peabody River Pekin Lake Powerton Lake Ray Norbut Rend Lake Rice Lake Sahara Woods Saline County Sam Dale Lake Sam Parr Sanganois Shelbyville Silver Springs Snakeden Hollow Spring Lake Ten Mile Creek Turkey Bluffs Union County Woodford
State Natural Areas	Cache River Franklin Creek Fults Hill Prairie Goose Lake Prairie Harry "Babe" Woodyard Illinois Caverns Kidd Lake Piney Creek Ravine Prairie Ridge Revis Hill Prairie Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak Sielbeck Forest Spitler Woods Volo Bog
State Trails	Mormon Trail Trail of Tears Tunnel Hill

Local

County Districts	Local forest and conservation districts

Category
Chicago
East St. Louis
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Commons

40°32′19″N 89°50′30″W / 40.5385°N 89.8417°W / 40.5385; -89.8417

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