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The marsh rice rat is semiaquatic, inhabiting marshes, swamps, and shores of lakes and ponds. Because of the loss of many natural wetlands, rice rats make use of available areas of standing water with emergent, herbaceous vegetation found in areas such as roadside ditches, farm ponds, and railroad rights-of-way in Illinois. Despite its extensive range in the U.S., the rice rat is uncommon in Illinois (it is a state-threatened species) and limited to the southern part of the state. |
SIZE: 114,908 acres; 180 square miles
LOCATION:Southern Illinois; Franklin, Hamilton, and Jefferson counties
The Middle Fork of the Big Muddy River RRA is a small, single watershed site. The significant natural features are the large tracts of forest located along the river.
LANDCOVER : Approximately half the landcover in this RRA is cropland.
It ranks fifth in percentage of grassland, which accounts for 27% of the
land area. Nineteen percent of the area is wooded. This RRA ranks eighth
for percentage of bottomland woods and 15th for percentage of nonforested
wetlands.
NATURAL AREAS : The Freeman Coal Company Forest is the only Natural Area.
BIOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT STREAMS : There are no BSS streams.
HERITAGE SITES : Two Heritage sites, a floodplain forest and one animal species, are located in the RRA.
STATE AND FEDERAL LAND : A 22-acre site, Ten Mile Creek Fish and Wildlife Area, is the only state or federal land.
NATURE PRESERVES : No Nature Preserves are located in the site.
NATURAL DIVISIONS : The Middle Fork of the Big Muddy River RRA is entirely within the Southern Till Plain Division.
SUMMARY OF SITE CHARACTERISTICS: SIZE, BIOLOGIC RESOURCES, AND PUBLIC LANDS
| Total Acreage |
114,908 |
| Natural Areas | |
|
Acreage |
388 |
|
Number |
1 |
| Biologically Significant Stream Mileage | 0 |
| Natural Heritage Sites | 2 |
| State Land | |
|
State Parks |
0 |
|
State Conservation Areas |
0 |
|
State Forests |
0 |
|
State Fish & Wildlife Areas |
1 |
|
Acreage |
22 |
|
Percentage of RRA |
0.0 |
| Federal Land | |
|
Acreage |
0 |
|
Percentage of RRA |
0.0 |
| LANDCOVER |
Acres |
% of RRA |
| Upland forest | 13,903.45 | 12.10 |
| Bottomland forest | 8,404.05 | 7.31 |
| Wetland- nonforested | 832.34 | 0.72 |
| Grassland | 31,218.95 | 27.17 |
| Cropland | 56,449.57 | 49.13 |
| Urban/Built-up | 3,164.97 | 2.75 |
| Water | 934.30 | 0.81 |
| TOTAL | 114,907.63 | 99.99 |
| ILLINOIS NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY SITES |
Acres |
| Freeman Coal Company Forest | 388 |
| BIOLOGICALLY SIGNIFICANT STREAMS |
| None |
| NATURAL HERITAGE CATEGORIES | ||
| Communities |
Occurrences |
Types/Species |
|
Floodplain Forest |
1 | 1 |
| Threatened and Endangered Animals | ||
|
Mammal |
1 | 1 |
| STATE AND FEDERAL LAND |
Acres |
| State Parks | 0 |
| State Conservation Areas | 0 |
| State Forests | 0 |
| State Fish and Wildlife Areas | |
|
Ten Mile Creek (Tva) |
22 |
| Federal Land | 0 |
| ILLINOIS NATURE PRESERVES |
| None |
| NATURAL DIVISIONS |
Acres in RRA |
% of RRA |
% of Division |
| Southern Till Plain | 114,908 | 100.0 | 1.6 |