[BCNnet] Emiquon featured in NY Times article

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 06:59:05 -0600

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FYI
Randi Doeker
Chicago

\----------------------------------------------------------/

Future of Illinois Farm May Lie in Swampy Past

September 27, 2004
 By STEPHEN KINZER 

HAVANA, Ill, Sept. 20 - Every autumn for more than 80
years, a sprawling farm beside the Illinois River has
yielded a rich bounty of corn and other crops. Now it is
being turned back into a swamp. 

Four years ago an environmental group bought the 7,000-acre
farm, which for generations has been one of the largest in
Illinois. Over the next few months, ecologists will begin
allowing it to flood. 

Based on their experience in smaller projects, the
ecologists think that within just a year or two, they can
return this farm to its natural state as a thriving
wetland. And they believe they can do it without planting a
single seed. All they need to do, they say, is to stop
sowing corn and to allow water levels to rise, and soon the
seeds of wetland plants that have lain dormant in the soil
for 80 years will spring to life. 

This suggests that the century during which food was grown
along the banks of America's great rivers may one day be
seen as an aberration, a brief parenthesis in the life of
rich swamps that thrived along these rivers for thousands
of years. 

If the project here, about 165 miles southwest of Chicago
at a farm called Emiquon, works as expected, planners would
like to see it duplicated around the United States and
beyond. They dream of the day when there will be fewer
farms along riverbanks and more swamps. 

This month at Emiquon, high-wheeled combines are harvesting
corn and soybeans, just as they are at thousands of farms
across the Midwest. Soon, however, this place will begin to
change. 

The half-dozen farm buildings, including barns, homes and a
towering grain elevator, are to be moved or demolished in
the next few months. On about one-third of the farm, the
amount of water being pumped off will be sharply reduced.
Then Doug Blodgett, an ecologist who is directing this
project for the Nature Conservancy, will wait and watch. 

"Hopefully, by this time next year there will be water over
that field, with all kinds of natural vegetation and
wildlife," Mr. Blodgett said as he pointed across the
cornfield. "Wetlands are amazingly resilient. Once you get
the water levels right, they come right back." 

The Nature Conservancy bought most of Emiquon from a real
estate and farming company in 2000, paying $18.5 million.
Mr. Blodgett said it would be flooded in stages over the
next three years. 

"There was a time when the country was growing so fast and
we were so dependent on our own farming that it may have
made sense to use land like this to grow crops," he said.
"We don't need these flood plains for farming anymore, and
in fact, keeping them in use as farms causes a whole range
of negative environmental effects." 

Waters around the Illinois River towns of Havana and
Liverpool were once among the most productive freshwater
fishing grounds in North America, producing a reported 24
million pounds of fish in 1908 alone. The region was also
teeming with waterfowl. 

After the swamps were drained and turned into farms, fish
and wildlife all but disappeared. Levees built to protect
the farms created conditions that have led to periodic
floods. 

The levees also prevent chemicals from being spread evenly
across large wetlands, where they can be naturally absorbed
and processed. Instead, these chemicals flow downstream
into the Mississippi River and then into the Gulf of
Mexico, creating "dead spots" where little marine life can
survive. 

"We turned a huge flood plain over to uses that it really
can't support," Mr. Blodgett said. "If we can go back to
letting nature do its work, the benefits will be huge." 

His optimism is based in part on a pilot project that the
Nature Conservancy started in 1999. It bought a 1,700-acre
farm 40 miles from here, at a place called Spunky Bottom,
and stopped draining it. Now, where rows of corn once
stood, people canoe lazily through shallow lakes as otters,
muskrat and mink scamper through tall grass, ospreys and
herons fly overhead, turtles and frogs lounge on muddy
shoals, and fish jump among yellow lotus blossoms that
sprout among lily pads. 

"This place was dry for 70 years, but after just one year
without planting it looked amazing," said Tharran Hobson,
director of the project at Spunky Bottom. "We were quite
surprised at how quickly it happened." 

News of what is happening here has spread through the world
environmental community, and scientists from Brazil and
Japan have come to visit. 

"Developing countries are looking at doing the same things
with their flood plains that we did 100 years ago: levees,
flood-control districts and agriculture," Mr. Hobson said.
"We're trying to suggest other approaches they might want
to look at. The value of what we're doing is almost nothing
if these projects don't become models." 

A similar experiment is under way near the town of
Hennepin, 85 miles upriver from here. The Wetlands
Initiative bought and flooded a 2,600-acre farm there four
years ago. It is now a lush wetland. 

"There have been a lot of wetland restorations over the
last years, but it's mostly been on small plots of 50 or
100 acres," said Donald Hey, a senior vice president of the
Wetlands Initiative. "We're showing that it can be done on
a wide scale. This is a strategy that would have
application in river basins from the Chesapeake to the
Sacramento." 

"This is really a great opportunity for us," said Keith
Arnold, president of the Peoria Area Convention and
Visitors Bureau. "Emiquon will be a wonderful wildlife
habitat, and we'll have interpretive centers, hiking,
biking, and opportunities for fishing and hunting. There's
a tremendous demand at the national and international level
for nature tourism. Within a year from now, we'll be making
Emiquon the centerpiece of our leisure travel marketing.
It'll be the focal point to everything we do." 
---------------------------------

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

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<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
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<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">R</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">a</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">nd</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">i</FONT> <FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Doeker</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">C</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
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<BR>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2>\</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">----------------------------------------------------------/</FONT></S=
PAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Future of Illinois Farm May Lie in Swampy Past</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">September 27, 2004</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&nbsp;By STEPHEN KINZER </FONT></SPAN></P>

HAVANA, Ill, Sept. 20 - Every autumn for more than 80

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">years, a sprawling farm beside the Illinois River =
has</FONT></SPAN></P>

yielded a rich bounty of corn and other crops. Now it =
is

being turned back into a swamp.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Four years ago an environmental group bought the =
7,000-acre</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">farm, which for generations has been one of the largest =
in</FONT></SPAN></P>

Illinois. Over the next few months, ecologists will =
begin

allowing it to flood.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Based on their experience in smaller projects, the</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">ecologists think that within just a year or two, they =
can</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">return</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS"> this farm to its =
natural state as a thriving</FONT></SPAN></P>

wetland. And they believe they can do it without planting =
a

single seed. All they need to do, they say, is to =
stop

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">sowing corn and to allow water levels to rise, and soon =
the</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">seeds of wetland plants that have l</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">ain dormant in the soil</FONT></SPAN></P>

for 80 years will spring to life.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">This suggests that the century during which food was =
grown</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">along the banks of America's great rivers may one day =
be</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">seen as an aberration, a brief parenthesis in the life =
of</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">rich swamps that thriv</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">ed =
along these rivers for thousands</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">of years. </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">If the project here, about 165 miles southwest of =
Chicago</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">at a farm called Emiquon, works as expected, planners =
would</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">like to see it duplicated around the United States =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

beyond. They dream of the day when there will be fewer

farms along riverbanks and more swamps.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">This month at Emiquon, high-wheeled combines are =
harvesting</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">corn and soybeans, just as they are at thousands of =
farms</FONT></SPAN></P>

across the Midwest. Soon, however, this place will begin =
to

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">change. </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">The half-dozen farm buildings, including barns, homes and =
a</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">towering grain elevator, are to be moved or demolished =
in</FONT></SPAN></P>

the next few months. On about one-third of the farm, =
the

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">amount of water being pumped off will be sharply =
reduced.</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Then Doug Blodgett, an</FONT> <FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">ecologist who is directing this</FONT></SPAN></P>

project for the Nature Conservancy, will wait and watch. =

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;Hopefully, by this time next year there will be water =
over</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">that field, with all kinds of natural vegetation =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

wildlife,&quot; Mr. Blodgett said as he pointed across =
the

cornfield. &quot;Wetlands are amazingly resilient. Once you =
get

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">the water levels right, they come right back.&quot; =
</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">The Nature Conservancy bought most of Emiquon from a =
real</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">estate and farming company in 2000, paying $18.5 =
million.</FONT></SPAN></P>

Mr. Blodgett said it would be flooded in stages over the

next three years.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;There was a time when the country was growing so fast =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">we were so dependent on our own farming that it may =
have</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">made sense to use land like this to grow crops,&quot; he =
said.</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;We don't need these flood plains f</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">or farming anymore, and</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">in fact, keeping them in use as farms causes a whole =
range</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">of negative environmental effects.&quot; </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Waters around the Illinois River towns of Havana =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Liverpool were once among the most productive =
freshwater</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">fishing grounds in North America, producing a reported =
24</FONT></SPAN></P>

million pounds of fish in 1908 alone. The region was =
also

teeming with waterfowl.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">After the swamps were drained and turned into farms, =
fish</FONT></SPAN></P>

and wildlife all but disappeared. Levees built to protect

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">the farms created conditions that have led to =
periodic</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">floods. </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">The levees also prevent chemicals from being spread =
evenly</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">across large wetlands, where they can be naturally =
absorbed</FONT></SPAN></P>

and processed. Instead, these chemicals flow =
downstream

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">into the Missi</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">ssippi =
River and then into the Gulf of</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Mexico, creating &quot;dead spots&quot; where little marine life =
can</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">survive. </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;We turned a huge flood plain over to uses that it =
really</FONT></SPAN></P>

can't support,&quot; Mr. Blodgett said. &quot;If we can go back =
to

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">letting nature do its work, the</FONT> <FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">benefits will be huge.&quot; </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">His optimism is based in part on a pilot project that =
the</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Nature Conservancy started in 1999. It bought a =
1,700-acre</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">farm 40 miles from here, at a place called Spunky =
Bottom,</FONT></SPAN></P>

and stopped draining it. Now, where rows of corn =
once

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">s</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">tood, people canoe =
lazily through shallow lakes as otters,</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">muskrat and mink scamper through tall grass, ospreys =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">herons fly overhead, turtles and frogs lounge on =
muddy</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">shoals, and fish jump among yellow lotus blossoms =
that</FONT></SPAN></P>

sprout among lily pads.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;This place was dry for 70 years, but after just one =
year</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">without planting it looked amazing,&quot; said Tharran =
Hobson,</FONT></SPAN></P>

director of the project at Spunky Bottom. &quot;We were =
quite

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">surprised at how quickly it happened.&quot; </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">News of what is happening here has spread</FONT> <FONT SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">through the world</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">environmental community, and scientists from Brazil =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

Japan have come to visit.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;Developing countries are looking at doing the same =
things</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">with their flood plains that we did 100 years ago: =
levees,</FONT></SPAN></P>

flood-control districts and agriculture,&quot; Mr. Hobson said.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;We're trying to suggest other approaches they might =
want</FONT></SPAN></P>

to look at. The value of what we're doing is almost =
nothing

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">if these projects don't become models.&quot; </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">A =
similar experiment is under way near the town of</FONT></SPAN></P>

Hennepin, 85 miles upriver from here. The Wetlands

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Initiative bought and flooded a 2,600-acre farm there =
four</FONT></SPAN></P>

years ago. It is now a lush wetland.

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;There have been a lot of wetland restorations over =
the</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">last years, but it's mostly been on small plots of 50 =
or</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">100 acres,&quot; said</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS"> =
Donald Hey, a senior vice president of the</FONT></SPAN></P>

Wetlands Initiative. &quot;We're showing that it can be done =
on

a =
wide scale. This is a strategy that would have

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">application in river basins from the Chesapeake to =
the</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Sacramento.&quot; </FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">&quot;This is really a great opportunity for us,&quot; said =
Keith</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Arnold, president of the Peoria Area Convention =
and</FONT></SPAN></P>

Visitors Bureau. &quot;Emiquon will be a wonderful =
wildlife

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">habitat, and we'll have interpretive centers, =
hiking,</FONT></SPAN></P>

biking, and opportunities for fishing and hunting. There's

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet MS">a =
tremendous demand at the national and international =
level</FONT></SPAN></P>

for nature tourism. Within a year from now, we'll be =
making

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Emiquon the centerpiece of our leisure travel =
marketing.</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">It'll be the focal point to everything we do.&quot; =
</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">---------------------------------</FONT></SPAN></P>

<P DIR=3DLTR><SPAN LANG=3D"en-us"><FONT SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Trebuchet =
MS">Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company</FONT></SPAN><SPAN =
LANG=3D"en-us"></SPAN></P>

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