Coon Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary)

Coon Creek
Coon Creek
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Burlington Township, Kane County, Illinois
• coordinates	42°01′09″N88°34′59″W / 42.0191667°N 88.5830556°W
• elevation	880 ft (270 m)
Mouth
• location	Confluence with the Kishwaukee River east of Belvidere, Illinois
• coordinates	42°15′16″N88°47′39″W / 42.2544444°N 88.7941667°W
• elevation	758 ft (231 m)
Length	28 mi (45 km)
Basin features
Progression	Coon Creek → Kishwaukee → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico
GNIS ID	421756

Last updated February 03, 2025

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Coon Creek is a 28.1-mile-long (45.2 km)^[1] tributary of the Kishwaukee River in northern Illinois.^[2]^[3]

Course

Coon Creek flows north from DeKalb County, Illinois, into McHenry County.^[4] The stream continues flowing northwest from the DeKalb County–McHenry County line until it empties into the Kishwaukee River in Boone County.^[5] In terms of square miles drained, Coon Creek is the second-largest tributary of the Kishwaukee River, behind only the South Branch Kishwaukee River.^[6]

Description

The DeKalb County and Boone–McHenry County portions of Coon Creek are different in character. While 72% of the watershed, Coon Creek and its tributaries, has had its stream beds channelized (ditched and straightened) only 42% of the Coon's main stem has been channelized.^[5] In McHenry County, Coon Creek still features many of its natural features, such as pools and riffles.^[5] In DeKalb County, further away from the Kishwaukee, the stream has been entirely channelized, only 6% of the Coon's tributaries in this area have not been channelized.^[4] This portion of Coon Creek retains very few of the natural instream characteristics such as pools or riffles.^[4]

Wildlife

The Coon Creek watershed (technically a subwatershed) is home to at least 34 different species of fish. Some of the species found in Coon Creek include bluegill, black crappie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and northern pike.^[5] The blacknose shiner (Notropis heteropis) is an example of an endangered fish found in the creek.^[5] The creek is also home to two species of reptile, the federally threatened Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) and the snapping turtle.^[5]

Tributaries

Coon Creek has several tributaries. Among them are Harmony Creek, Hampshire Creek, and Burlington Creek.^[5]

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References

↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2016-06-30 at the Wayback Machine , accessed May 19, 2011
↑ Kishwaukee River Watershed Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine , Watersheds of Illinois - 1996 Fact Sheets, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1996, accessed January 22, 2011.
↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coon Creek
1 2 3 Upper Coon Creek Subwatershed Plan , Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 22, 2011.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lower Coon Creek Subwatershed Plan , Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 22, 2011.
↑ Piscasaw Creek - Subwatershed plan Archived 2011-07-03 at the Wayback Machine , Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, p. 3, 8 - 10, accessed January 23, 2011.

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[NHD-1] U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2016-06-30 at the Wayback Machine , accessed May 19, 2011

[epa-2] Kishwaukee River Watershed Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine , Watersheds of Illinois - 1996 Fact Sheets, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, 1996, accessed January 22, 2011.

[GNIS140-3] U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coon Creek

[upper-4] 1 2 3 Upper Coon Creek Subwatershed Plan , Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 22, 2011.

[lower-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lower Coon Creek Subwatershed Plan , Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, accessed January 22, 2011.

[sub-6] Piscasaw Creek - Subwatershed plan Archived 2011-07-03 at the Wayback Machine , Kishwaukee River Ecosystem Partnership, May 2005, p. 3, 8 - 10, accessed January 23, 2011.

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