Concern about the environment is one of the 10 Green principles. Although when I first came to Champaign 40 years ago I thought it was flat and featureless, I've since come to appreciate the fact that the county has its natural wonders. I've also seen much of that space become even more featureless.

In our low-relief land, drainage is at a premium. The first settlers found a mixture of rolling prairie and bottomlands that held back the water so that it drained slowly, nurturing the bounty of the land. Transformed by the hands of farmers, this land is some of the richest and most bountiful in the world.

Between the original landscapes shaped by nature and the productive ones shaped by humankind are concerns of many different types. There is space to nurture nature, as well as to continue production agriculture. There are compromises that need to be made, but it's now possible to extend parts of the natural river bottoms into extended corridors for nature to live and travel in. Farmers should be compensated for any losses to production, but we'll all benefit from extending niches for wildlife to grow along waterways. It's important that new, more wild, but still efficient drainage connect with existing natural areas. More of spaces that provide a bit wetter soil will reap benefits for every living thing, reduce downstream flooding, filter excessive runoff of nitrogen, and provide homes for wildlife.