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Fall
2000
This
creek is the gem of the Des Plaines River system
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| Will
County, Illinois |
Historically,
Hickory Creek has been recognized as the gem of the Des
Plaines River system. Scientists have studied the creek
for more than 100 years. The late University of Chicago
ecologist Victor Shelford formulated an essential theory
of stream succession based on observations made at Hickory
Creek in the early 1900s. "Hickory Creek has attained
the status of a classic biological study area," wrote
University of Illinois professor David Bardack in a 1982
letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
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DIRECTIONS
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Take
I-94 to I-57, south to Rte. 30. Go west 7.5 miles
to the Frankfort township public pool, where you’ll
find parking. Other Hickory Creek access points include
Hickory Creek Junction, about a mile past the pool
on Rte. 30, and the LaPorte Road Access. For LaPorte
Road Access take Rte. 30 a block past the pool to
Wolf Road. Make a right on Wolf and the first stoplight
will be LaPorte Road. Take a right on LaPorte, and
the access will be on your right after a minute or
two.
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Hickory
Creek flows southwestward for approximately 21 miles, feeding
into the Des Plaines River at Joliet. It runs through Higinbotham
Woods, Pilcher Park, and the beautiful 1800-acre Hickory
Creek Preserve. There are a number of trails that lead to
the creek within the preserve. A nice one is found to the
left behind the Frankfort township public pool, located
on U.S. 30. Go for the creek, stay for the preserve with
multiple nice picnic areas, and miles of paved trails, open
to hiking, biking, in-line skating, and skiing.
The
Hickory Creek Preserve offers access to a total of 22.8
miles of trail, including the 19.9 mile Old Plank Road trail
that runs from Park Forest to Joliet. Pilcher Park provides
numerous hiking trails and an outdoor education center with
large aquariums and a turtle pond. Day trips to the Frankfort
area are perfect for those seeking alternatives to chain
restaurant fare, as the area is home to multiple shops featuring
traditional American food and handmade ice cream.
Of
the 64 species of fish cataloged in the Des Plaines River
drainage, a full 57 have been recorded at Hickory Creek.
Species of note include the Northern hogsucker, mottled
sculpin, smallmouth bass, 10 species of darter, and the
state-endangered slippershell mussel. The blacknose shiner,
also on the Illinois list of rare or endangered species,
was found in Hickory Creek by Loren Woods of the Field Museum
in 1955, but has not appeared on species lists since, and
is assumed to have disappeared from the Des Plaines watershed.
According to James Bland, director of Integrated Lakes Management
and an authority on Hickory Creek, the Creek also provides
habitat for many invertebrate species not found elsewhere
in the region. The 1999 Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity
Recovery Plan lists conservation of Hickory Creek as a "very
high priority," the plan’s highest rating.
Sadly,
Hickory Creek has paid a high price for its region’s
development. As swamps and marshes have given way to parking
lots, paved roads, and buildings, the flow level and flood
rhythms of the creek have been disrupted. Moreover, as low
points in the landscape, waterways are susceptible to environmental
disturbances across the entire watershed. A one-time spill
of gas or any hazardous material anywhere in the area can
have catastrophic consequences for a creek. While the precise
causes of Hickory Creek’s environmental degradation
are complex and unclear as of yet, the Illinois Biological
Stream Characterization Work Group recently placed Hickory
Creek in the middling "C" class due to a decline
in the variety of species found there. Today, Hickory Creek’s
historical significance and the continued presence of the
slippershell mussel remind us that this stream is worth
appreciating and worth restoring to good health. —
Michael Madison
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