Coon Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary)
Coon Creek is a 28.1-mile-long (45.2 km)[1] tributary of the Kishwaukee River in northern Illinois.[2][3]
| Coon Creek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Burlington Township, Kane County, Illinois |
| • coordinates | 42°01′09″N 88°34′59″W / 42.0191667°N 88.5830556°W |
| • elevation | 880 ft (270 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the Kishwaukee River east of Belvidere, Illinois |
• coordinates | 42°15′16″N 88°47′39″W / 42.2544444°N 88.7941667°W |
• elevation | 758 ft (231 m) |
| Length | 28 mi (45 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Coon Creek → Kishwaukee → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| GNIS ID | 421756 |
Course
editCoon Creek flows north from DeKalb County, Illinois, into McHenry County.[4] The stream continues flowing northwest from the DeKalb County–McHenry County line until it empties into the Kishwaukee River in Boone County.[5] In terms of square miles drained, Coon Creek is the second-largest tributary of the Kishwaukee River, behind only the South Branch Kishwaukee River.[6]
Description
editThe DeKalb County and Boone–McHenry County portions of Coon Creek are different in character. While 72% of the watershed, Coon Creek and its tributaries, has had its stream beds channelized (ditched and straightened) only 42% of the Coon's main stem has been channelized.[5] In McHenry County, Coon Creek still features many of its natural features, such as pools and riffles.[5] In DeKalb County, further away from the Kishwaukee, the stream has been entirely channelized, only 6% of the Coon's tributaries in this area have not been channelized.[4] This portion of Coon Creek retains very few of the natural instream characteristics such as pools or riffles.[4]
Wildlife
editThe Coon Creek watershed (technically a subwatershed) is home to at least 34 different species of fish. Some of the species found in Coon Creek include bluegill, black crappie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and northern pike.[5] The blacknose shiner (Notropis heteropis) is an example of an endangered fish found in the creek.[5] The creek is also home to two species of reptile, the federally threatened Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) and the snapping turtle.[5]
Tributaries
editCoon Creek has several tributaries. Among them are Harmony Creek, Hampshire Creek, and Burlington Creek.[5]
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2016-06-30 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 19, 2011
- ^ Kishwaukee River Watershed Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, Watersheds of Illinois - 1996 Fact Sheets, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1996, accessed January 22, 2011.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coon Creek
- ^ a b c Upper Coon Creek Subwatershed Plan, Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lower Coon Creek Subwatershed Plan, Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 22, 2011.
- ^ Piscasaw Creek - Subwatershed plan Archived 2011-07-03 at the Wayback Machine, Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, p. 3, 8 - 10, accessed January 23, 2011.