The Kinkaid Area Assessment, part of a series of statewide regional assessments, examines 629 square miles, most of which falls within three counties-- Jackson, Perry, and Washington, in southern Illinois. The area falls within four natural divisions-- Southern Till Plain, Shawnee Hills, Ozark, and Lower Mississippi River Bottomlands. More than 90% of the assessment area, 574 square miles, lies within the Beaucoup Creek watershed. Beaucoup Creek originates in eastern Washington County and flows southward for about 81 miles to its confluence with the Big Muddy River in Jackson County. Kinkaid Creek has its headwaters in the northwestern portion of Jackson County and flows southeast until it meets the Big Muddy near Grimsby. Kinkaid Lake, formed when Kinkaid Creek was impounded about 30 years ago, is located in Jackson County. The report provides information on the natural and human resources of the area as a basis for managing and improving its ecosystems. The development of ecosystems-based information and management programs in Illinois are the result of three processes-- the Critical Trents Assessment Program, Conservation Congress, and Water Resources and Land Use Priorities Task Force.

Examines 1,477 square miles in northeastern Illinois that historically was open prairie with a park-like appearance of scattered trees. The area encompasses 25 subbasins along the Illinois, Des Plaines, and Kankakee rivers, of which 8 have been designated a state Resource Rich Area.