Kickapoo State Partk – bids – IDNR

PUBLIC NOTICE

Pursuant to Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 1080 of the Illinois Administrative Code, notice is hereby given that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Kickapoo State Park, 10906 Kickapoo Park Road, Oakwood, Illinois 61858, has submitted a Conservation Plan to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to apply for authorization for the taking of the Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida) and the Bigeye Chub (Hybopsis amblops) incidental to the Pond 6 Bridge Removal over Middle Fork Vermillion River.

The project is located in Vermilion County, Illinois. The project is located within Kickapoo State Park on Skyline Drive over the Middle Fork Vermilion River, approximately 850 feet west of N. 1180 E. Road.  The project is just south of I-74, approximately 4 miles west of the City of Danville in Vermilion County, Illinois (See attached map).

The Project consists of demolishing and removing six concrete piers and the steel vehicular bridge (Pond 6 Bridge) spanning the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River on Skyline Drive in Kickapoo State Park. The bridge has numerous structural issues and has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2012. Additionally, recurring log jams at the piers create unsafe conditions for paddlers. Take of the Eastern Sand Darter and Bigeye Chub may result during the Project as a result of this work. The Eastern Sand Darter and Bigeye Chub are protected under the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act (520 ILCS 10) and is known to occur within the vicinity of the Project.

In order to minimize and mitigate for the take of the Eastern Sand Darter and Bigeye Chub incidental to the Pond 6 bridge removal, in-stream work will be minimized to the extent practical and will occur outside of the spawning timeframe for both species. The normal flow of the river would be maintained during the bridge removal and fluvial morphology changes will be minimized to the extent practical. Silt/turbidity curtains will be installed around piers during removal to prevent resuspended sediment from migrating downstream.  Post construction monitoring will be conducted by the Illinois Natural History Survey on behalf of the IDNR at 1- and 3-years post bridge removal. IDNR Office of Realty and Capital Planning (ORCP) Division of Engineering shall contract the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) to conduct a study to evaluate Eastern Sand Darter distribution, with the goal of estimating the species’ statewide distribution and identifying factors contributing to that distribution.

A copy of the Project Conservation Plan is available for inspection by the Public at the following location(s):

• Oakwood Public Library, 110 E. Finley St., Oakwood, IL 61858 (217-354-4777)Kickapoo State Park Office, 10906
• Kickapoo State Park office, 10906 Kickapoo Park Rd., Oakwood, IL 61858 (217-442-4915)

The Conservation Plan is also available on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Incidental Take Authorization website, accessed at: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/naturalheritage/speciesconservation/Pages/Incidental-Take-Authorizations.aspx

(ITA # 236).

Comments pertaining to the conservation plan should be sent:

via email to DNR.ITACoordinator@illinois.gov

OR: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Resource Conservation, Incidental Take Authorization Coordinator, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702

Public comments will be accepted through January 24, 2022.

12/7/2021