Overview

For most of the 20th century, Hennepin & Hopper Lakes in Putnam County, Illinois, were drained to make way for cropland. But these backwater lakes in the floodplain of the Illinois River, 40 miles north of Peoria, roared back to life in 2001 when the Wetlands Initiative turned off the drainage pump and began restoration.

Today the 3,000-acre Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is one of the premier natural areas in the state and is open to the public 365 days a year. Where once only corn and soybeans grew, a mosaic of lakes, marshes, seeps, savannas, and prairies now supports a huge range of native flora and fauna. TWI’s goal in restoring the Dixon Refuge has been to bring back levels of biodiversity approaching what was once typical of the Illinois landscape prior to European settlement.

In 2012, the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge was officially listed as a Wetland of International Importance in accordance with the global Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This designation recognizes the Refuge for the rare wetlands, endangered species, native fish populations, and large numbers of migratory waterfowl it supports.

More than 730 native plant species thrive at the Refuge. The site is also an Audubon Important Bird Area, with more than 270 bird species observed nesting, foraging, or resting there (download the site's bird checklist here). Thousands of migrating waterfowl use Hennepin & Hopper Lakes as a critical stopover in spring and fall. The Refuge also contains an extremely rare and high-quality seep wetland habitat, of which 26 acres is a designated Illinois Nature Preserve known as the Thomas W. and Elizabeth Moews Dore Seep.

The Dixon Refuge is a waypoint on the Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway, which travels the same route that early French explorers took. You can drive the Illinois River Road to discover local natural and cultural points of interest and to explore how the Refuge fits into the region's rich heritage.

Protected in perpetuity as a natural area, the Dixon Refuge offers 7 miles of hiking trails, as well as opportunities for nature photography, birdwatching, and summer paddling and fishing. Only two hours from downtown Chicago, the Refuge is a natural and recreational resource to treasure.