| Coon Creek | |
|---|---|
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Burlington Township, Kane County, Illinois |
| • coordinates | 42°01′09″N 88°34′59″W / 42.0191667°N 88.5830556°W / 42.0191667; -88.5830556 (Coon Creek origin) |
| • elevation | 880 ft (270 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the Kishwaukee River east of Belvidere, Illinois |
• coordinates | 42°15′16″N 88°47′39″W / 42.2544444°N 88.7941667°W / 42.2544444; -88.7941667 (Coon Creek mouth) |
• elevation | 758 ft (231 m) |
| Length | 28 mi (45 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Coon Creek → Kishwaukee → Rock → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| GNISID | 421756 |
Coon Creek is a 28.1-mile-long (45.2 km)[1] tributary of the Kishwaukee River in northern Illinois.[2][3]
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 RiverinBoone 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]
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]
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]
Coon Creek has several tributaries. Among them are Harmony Creek, Hampshire Creek, and Burlington Creek.[5]
