- Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
Infobox_protected_area | name = Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, Illinois, USA
iucn_category = IV
caption = Map of theU.S. state ofIllinois showing the location of Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
locator_x = 101
locator_y = 177
location = Cass County,Illinois , USA
nearest_city =Chandlerville, Illinois
lat_degrees = 40
lat_minutes = 00
lat_seconds = 15
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 90
long_minutes = 10
long_seconds = 00
long_direction = W
area = convert|16550|acre|km2|2|lk=on
established = June, 1993
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =Illinois Department of Natural Resources The Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (JEPC) is aconservation area located within Cass County in theU.S. state ofIllinois . It is 16,550 acres (67 km²) in size. A mix of plowed upland prairie and Panther Creek woodlands, the site is managed by theIllinois Department of Natural Resources . It is drained by theSangamon River .History
Originally part of the territory controlled by the
Illinois Confederacy of Native Americans, the Panther Creek basin was largely settled by the 1850s. As the basin is adjacent to the historic road betweenSpringfield, Illinois andBeardstown, Illinois , nowIllinois Route 125 , it was relatively attractive asfarm land.Acting on the basis of rapidly increasing forecasts in Illinois demand for
electricity , theChicago -based electric utility,Commonwealth Edison , purchased farmland making up the future Jim Edgar site in 1968-74 for potential use as a coal-firedgenerating plant and adjacent 5,000 acre (20 km²)cooling pond . For this purpose the parcel was renamed "Site M."The "Site M" power plant would have burned high-
sulfur Illinoiscoal . Due to the passage of the federalClean Air Act , the use of Illinois coal for electrical power purposes became less economically attractive to Commonwealth Edison in the 1980s and 1990s. After holding the land in 1974-1993, the utility agreed to sell it to the state of Illinois.JEPC today
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources acquired "Site M" in June 1993, and the acquisition became the largest portion of what was renamed the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (JEPC) in 2001. The site was named in honor of
Jim Edgar , governor of Illinois in 1991-1999.Of the 16,550 acres (67 km²) within JEPC, 6,350 acres (26 km²) are managed as open space, 6,000 acres (24 km²) are managed as
woodland and 4,200 acres (17 km²) are managed as production farmland. The production farmland is leased out to localfarmer s, a move that has caused some controversy. It can be up to a Class Bmisdemeanor to trespass upon Illinois land used for productionagriculture , and that penalty applies to JEPC land in production, even though the land is owned by all of the people of Illinois.The Jim Edgar Panther Creek parcel, however, makes up more than half of Panther Creek Township within Cass County. Allowing part of JEPC to remain as production farmland allows
property tax es to be levied on the land for the support of localschool s and units of government.JEPC open space
Some primary target species for which JEPC open space are managed are
mourning dove s,pheasant s,quail ,snipe ,woodcock , andrabbit . Rotating areas of grass, sunflower seeds, and wheat are managed to feed and encourage these populations, all of which can be hunted with an Illinoislicense .Several small natural
pond s and artificiallake s exist on the JEPC property, and are stocked withlargemouth bass ,channel catfish and typical Illinois farm-pondpanfish such asbluegill , the Illinois state fish, andgreen sunfish . In addition to these fish, Prairie Lake is also stocked withmuskellunge .175 acres (0.7 km²) within JEPC have been set aside as the "Cox Creek Hill Prairie State Natural Area", a collection of upland
hill prairie remnants scattered throughout the JEPC. 87 separate species ofbird s have been logged on the Cox Creek Hill Prairie parcels.JEPC woodland
The Jim Edgar Panther Creek site's woodland is managed for
white-tailed deer andwild turkey .Fur bearing animals, such ascoyote s,raccoon ,opossum ,red fox ,gray fox , andstriped skunk , also live in the woodlands and adjacent open areas. Illinois hunting licenses also provide access to these species.External links
* [http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/R4/jepc.htm DNR site]
* [http://dnr.state.il.us/Lands/Landmgt/PDF's/jimedgarpc.pdf DNR JEPC PDF area map]
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