Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

State park in Illinois

Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map of the U.S. state of Illinois showing the location of Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife AreaShow map of IllinoisCoffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (the United States)Show map of the United States
Location	Montgomery County, Illinois, U.S.
Nearest city	Coffeen, Illinois
Coordinates	39°03′45″N 89°24′44″W / 39.06250°N 89.41222°W / 39.06250; -89.41222
Area	297 acres (120 ha)
Established	1966
Governing body	Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on 297 acres (120 ha) in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States just south of Coffeen.

History

The original power company built a 75 foot (23 m) high earthen dam on a branch of the east Fork of Shoal Creek in 1963. The lake filled by 1966 to serve as cooling water for the coal-fired Coffeen Power Station until the shutdown of that plant in 2019. The site was also opened as a fish and wildlife area in 1986, which after 2019 became its primary purpose. It operates under a long-term lease and management agreement between the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Dynegy. This agreement grants authority to the State to open the lake and certain lands to the public for recreational activities, such as fishing, boating, picnicking and hunting.

Natural features

The oak-hickory forests surrounding Coffeen Lake are representative of the native cover found within the Southern Till Plain Natural Division of central and southern Illinois. Soils are of loess and till, rather light and a characteristic "claypan" can be found. Pre-settlement vegetation was a mixture of 60 percent forest to 40 percent prairie and wetlands. A variety of trees, woodland and prairie plants cover the slopes of the stream valley. Muskrats, turtles, herons and mussels are seen in or near the water. Red-tailed hawk, blue jay and dragonflies may be seen overhead. Bobwhite, coyote, white-tailed deer and black rat snake are common to the area.

References

"Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area". Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
USGS. "Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, USGS Coffeen (IL) Quad". TopoQuest. Retrieved July 5, 2008.

External links

Coffeen Illinois, Historical Society of Montgomery County Illinois

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

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