46 Hunting in the Fox River Bioregion Jackson Halstead The Fox River’s bioregion is an extensive and diverse ecosystem, and home to many different species. Hundreds of different species call the Fox River Valley home. The area is mostly deciduous forest with a cool climate. The many different oak and ash trees cover hundreds of miles. Forests and preserves are found everywhere, full of trails for people to walk. Animals can be found all over. White-tailed deer, eastern cotton tailed rabbits, skunks, and so many more can be seen, foraging and surviving the many threats they face. Many of the species found here are the same as found in any other part of the American Midwest. Every once in a while, if you're lucky, a bald eagle can be found flying high, with its bright white head shining. Hunting in the Fox River bioregion has created incredible change within the last 400 years, starting when European settlers first arrived. While you might be lucky if you see a bald eagle, they are just one of the many species affected by humans today. Before the 1950’s they were very common, soaring the skies with little in their way.1 Not just them though, others too. Those white-tailed deer you see sometimes, they used to number in the tens of thousands in just this region. Those thousands of Canada geese you see migrating every year? Imagine that, but double, maybe even triple the amount. Before European settlers in the late 1600’s, the environment was affected very little by humans. No hundreds of miles of asphalt laid bare across flat roads or sprawling cities that can be seen clearly from space. The environment was not polluted or changed in many unnatural ways. It had so many species living freely, not being brought to near extinction or turned into nothing by cars on those many asphalt 1 Mayor, Dana. “Bald Eagle Population by State.” AZ Animals, November 14, 2022. https://a-zanimals.com/blog/bald-eagle-population-by-state/.
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