Sometimes we can miss the most obvious realities, such as the vital importance to Peoria County of the Kickapoo Creek watershed. Covering nearly 300 square miles, it has played a big role in American pioneer civilization and continues a dynamic, seasonal pattern that began 10,000 years ago. Its wetlands and seasonal flooding have provided food for huge numbers of insects, reptiles, mammals and birds. Seasonal flooding is the rhythmic, living breath of the Kickapoo Creek watershed.

Although channelized, sadly polluted and depleted of much of its traditional wetlands, the Kickapoo Creek and watershed remains alive, home for hundreds of wildlife species.

It is a living entity that deserves our respect and attention because when we improve the Kickapoo we improve our own lives.

The economic value of the Kickapoo is well known. The first industrial structure in Peoria County was a water mill on the lower reaches of the Kickapoo in 1832, near Airport Road. In addition to small industry, the Kickapoo has been used for farmland irrigation, livestock watering, coal mining processing and timber harvest. Local families have long enjoyed its fishing, swimming and recreation.

Kickapoo Creek has unacceptably high levels of nitrogen, phosphate and soil erosion that can be minimized by better management practices in our towns, cities, parks and farmland. There are practical options that don’t require spending large amounts of money or abandoning large tracts of farmland. Some examples include sustainable log check dams, improved disposal of oil waste, reduced use of urban fertilizers, pesticides and by expanding Conservation Reserve Programs for farmers. Carefully planned, well-managed, small-scale projects in the watershed will benefit everyone.

In the past 350 years, the Industrial Revolution and human population growth achieved near complete destruction of almost every major freshwater habitat in the world. The Kickapoo watershed seasonal flooding has been stopped, preventing rivers and creeks from getting needed nutrients for freshwater marine life. The powerful human capacity to maximize food productivity can be balanced with an ethic that respects and repairs the natural world. One possible solution is to increase the financial value of former wetlands and provide for their restoration, paying landowners a fair value for their land. There is no better way to protect nature in Peoria County than to restore its wetlands.

Changes in our own lifestyle within the urban areas can reduce nitrogen and phosphate runoff. Urban lawns are often concentrations of nitrogen and herbicide/pesticide pollution. We can reduce soil erosion that has transformed the once clear Kickapoo Creek gravel bottom into a muddy stream. Peoria County cities, towns and suburbs can serve as a reliable customer base for local farmers to feed us. We can choose to buy fewer things, buy locally and carefully spend money on good local things and good local groups. Creation of a better world will require sacrifice. Sometimes we miss the most obvious realities. The choice is ours.

— Dave Pittman is a local activist and 35-year resident of the Kickapoo Creek watershed.