Long Term Resource Monitoring Program Invertebrate Component
From 1993-2004 as part of the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP), we have monitored up to five target groups of macroinvertebrates (mayflies, midges, fingernail clams, Asiatic clams, and zebra mussels) in La Grange Reach of the Illinois River since 1993. Sampling is conducted over a 15-day period in May, and includes approximately 100 randomly selected sites and 35 fixed sites in main channel, side channel, and backwater habitats. Single, ponar grab samples are collected at each site. Data collected through 1997 are available from the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center's home page on the World Wide Web and the Havana Field Station.
Along with main channel and side channel habitats of the La Grange Reach, major backwater areas that we sample for invertebrates include: Pekin Lake, Big Lake, Clear Lake, Quiver Lake, Matanza Lake, Crane Lake, Chain Lake, Treadway Lake, Muscooten Bay, and Lily Lake.