As Illinois begins its official reopening and residents flock to state parks this summer, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources faces a severe staffing shortage, according to IDNR chief of
Learning how to fish is fun and free for youngsters and families during Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Urban Fishing Program summer clinics.
Courtesy of Brad Semel
Piping plovers Monty and Rose get another chance to expand their flock this year.
Brad Semel, an endangered species recovery specialist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said they are hoping for another complete clutch of four eggs.
Though the plovers were not harmed, a skunk reached into a break in the protective wire fence surrounding the nest. Within hours however, bird-watchers had already spotted the plovers courting and scraping a new nest.
A team dedicated to protecting the plovers have installed surveillance cameras and new wire fencing around the nest.
Semel said the exclosure is slightly larger than the previous one, with larger gauge wire to make sure mammalian predators can’t break the welding or reach the nest even if it happened to break again.