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Camp Tu Endie Wei Staff Get All Wet With FWS
Midwest Region, June 7, 2004
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Camp Tu Endie Wei, owned by the Elgin YWCA, recently completed the removal of a dam on Brewster Creek within their property. The dam dated back to 1929 and had been declared unsafe by Illinois dam safety officials. The camp had used this 4.3 acre impoundment for water front activities (canoeing, boating, swimming, etc.) for the 30,000 people it serves each year. The decision to remove the dam was based in part on the higher cost to rebuild the dam to current safety standards, but they also realized the ecological benefits of reconnecting the stream. However, this left a void in camp programming. Jeff Mengler and Cyndi Duda of the Service's Chicago Field Office provided staff training to their camp counselors on how to interpret and use the new stream and wetland habitats in their camp. This included exploration of the macroinvertebrates in the stream by using dip nets in the stream riffles. Once in the stream, children and adult staff alike are hard to get back out of the water and are fascinated by all of the life they didn't know existed in the stream before. The dam removal was also supported by the Chicago Field Office both financially and with technical assistance through participation in the technical advisory team. Photos and additional information about this project can be found at http://www.co.kane.il.us/kcstorm/brewster/index.htm. A video documentary was also produced about the project.

Contact Info: Midwest Region Public Affairs, 612-713-5313, charles_traxler@fws.gov



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