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<br /> <br />20 <br /> <br />OVERVIEW OF RIVER-FLOODPLAIN ECOLOGY IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN <br /> <br /> <br />.{d.. <br /> <br />B <br /> <br />~S,I' <br /> <br />IIhnni,Rlv"" <br />D,a1na!l..andLpvp..Di'tmt' <br /> <br />D 1890_1B9<I <br />D 189.,_18'19 <br />- 190)-1904 <br />II1II 1905-190<1 <br />rm 1'110-1'114 <br />- 1915_1914 <br />- 19.0-1924 <br />- 1925_1919 <br /> <br />O_'~OMilp. <br /> <br />.nD,.h..'ll,'I'.n <br /> <br />Figure 2-10. Illinois River levee dis- <br />tricts between Peoria, Illinois, and <br />Grafton. Illinois. The levee districts <br />transformed the appearance of the Illi- <br />nois River floodplain. More than 50 <br />percent of fonner wetlands were con- <br />verted to agriculture; other habitats <br />were impacted by indirect factors such <br />as flow regulation and sedimentation. <br />The former wetlands supported eco- <br />nomically important local commercial <br />fishing and recreational guide indus- <br />tries. Today agriculture is the primary <br />industry in the floodplain; hunters and <br />fishers concentrate on scarce public <br />land in pursuit of their sports (source: <br />Thompson. 1989), <br />