Coon Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary)

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]

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]