Quincy leaders hope restoring Quincy Bay will attract wildlife and visitors

[Sherman A1]

The federal government has approved $33 million for restoring Quincy Bay along the Mississippi River in Illinois, a project that has been decades in the making.

The city is hoping the plan will bring more wildlife and visitors to the area and boost economic development efforts. The bay is an 8-square-mile backwater of the Mississippi River just north of the city of Quincy.

“What we’re trying to accomplish is to restore some of those original depths which provide a lot of habitat. This will also provide more recreational opportunities,” said Mike Klingner, an engineer who has been advocating for river repair in Quincy for more than 30 years.

Quincy Bay has lost 70% of its depth over the past century, mostly due to erosion and use of the river as a major shipping route.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/health-science-environment/2022-03-28/quincy-leaders-hope-restoring-quincy-bay-will-attract-wildlife-and-visitors