Recommendations 
General 
Each of the three aquatic ecosystems discussed in this report has 
its own ecological characteristics, but certain general recommen- 
dations apply to all of them. The Forest Service should keep all 
three areas under close surveillance and prohibit or keep to a 
minimum: 
1. Physical alteration (construction) that modified the 
habitats present. : 
2. Deforestation, stream impoundment, or other land-use 
practices (including the planting of Pine trees in lieu of 
native hardwoods) in adjacent areas that might affect the natural 
fluctuation of the water table. 
3. The discharge of industrial, agricultural, and residential 
pollutants into these ecosystems. 
4. The introduction of any exotic species or strains of 
plants and animals that could conceivably compete with the native 
biota. 
5. The use of chemical poisons for censusing or other pur- 
poses and of all biocides, including herbicides. 
6. Overdevelopment for public use because the principal 
value of these systems lies in their being maintained in a 
primitive state as refuges for native plants and animals. 
7. Building fires. 
8. Collecting of plants and animals by large supervised 
Or unsupervised classes from schools because of damage to 
habitats by large groups of collectors. 
In addition, the Forest Service should expand its educational 
programs and strive for the best public relations possible with 
residents of southern Illinois. The local public should be made 
to feel proud of the uniqueness of these areas and to have a 
better understanding of the need for their preservation and the 
restrictions on their use. 
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