Online Learning Center
Welcome to IRWP’s
Online Learning Center
We have the resources to let you explore best practices for enhancing water quality, preserving habitats, and promoting sustainable livestock production. If you are new to our organization or the Illinois River Watershed, here is an introduction to IRWP and the programs we provide.
Annie Sales, our Green Infrastructure Project Manager, helping to perform a fish survey.
What can I really do to make a change in my watershed?
There is always work to be done, so sign up to volunteer with IRWP.
Your assistance helps us reach the right people to make impactful restoration and conservation possible!
Refer us to streamside landowners that could use our help conserving, repairing, or buffering the streambank.
Make your home and business with Low-Impact Development (LID) to help improve your local watershed quality.
Start your child’s stewardship early with IRWP’s Youth Education page and help introduce water quality topics in a home or school setting.
Are you wanting to design a rain garden, but don’t know how?
Read our Presentation for Rain Garden Design to learn more!
Listen to part of Annie Sale’s presentation as she discusses challenges when constructing rain gardens. Many lawns are dominated by bermudagrass, so tackling this grass before rain garden establishment is essential!
Want to learn more about the power of plants?
Read Bioretention: Power Plants to learn more!
When purchasing plants for a garden project of any scale, it is best practice to purchase native, non-invasive plants from local nurseries. Sourcing these plants should not be finding a needle in a haystack, so here is a list of nurseries and resources to help you in your restoration journey!
Butterfly milkweed
Eastern bluestar
Blue lobelia
False aster
Purple coneflower
Short’s goldenrod
Sweet coneflower
Wild bergamot
New England aster
Black-eyed Susan
Want to learn more about what not to plant? Go to our page for
Do you have an eroding streambank and want to begin restoration? A great place to begin is by seeding bare spots on your streambank using a seed mix that includes fast growing plant species. Hamilton Native Outpost sells a Streambank Mix to help stabilize your streambank with fast growing vegetation.
Tips to Go Greener
