Illinois Parks and Preserves
The Winnebago County Forest Preserve District owns and operates six preserve along the river in Winnebago County. The river is the chief attraction of the 1,048-acre (424 ha) Pecatonica Wetlands Forest Preserve and the 221-acre (89 ha) Crooked River Forest Preserve off U.S. Highway 20 near Pecatonica, Illinois. These forest preserves contain oxbow, wetlands, and bottomland forest. The river also flows past the 466-acre (189 ha) Pecatonica River Forest Preserve off Illinois Route 70 near Pecatonica. The forest preserve contains a bottomland forest and has been designated an Illinois Nature Preserve. The 15-acre (6.1 ha) Trask Bridge Forest Preserve and the 6-acre (2.4 ha) Two Rivers Forest Preserve at the confluence of the Sugar River (Illinois) and Pecatonica River provide public boat launches, picnic areas, and fishing opportunities. At the mouth of the Pecatonica is the 281-acre (114 ha) Macktown Forest Preserve on Illinois Route 75 near Rockton, the site of the ghost town of Macktown or Pe-Katonic.
The Natural Land Institute of Rockford, Illinois owns and operates two privately-owned preserves in Winnebago County. The 142-acre (57 ha) Pecatonica Woodlands Preserve contains bottomland forest, oxbow pond, wetland, and sedge meadow habitats. The 721-acre (292 ha) Nygren Wetland Preserve, located at the confluence of the Pecatonica River and the Rock River (Mississippi River), has been restored from farmland to prairie, oak savanna, wetland, and oxbow pond.
Read more about this topic: Pecatonica River
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