Nature Preserves in the News

Check out the links below to stories highlighting the dedicated volunteers and incredible biodiversity of the Illinois Nature Preserves!

  • AgriNews, St. Charles Park District: Rebuilding the land seed by seed, September 16, 2022
    Sometimes even Mother Nature needs a hand. And while a park district is often thought of for its playing fields and playgrounds, the St. Charles Park District has a small team devoted to the care and conservation of 500-plus acres of natural area with the three most well-known areas — Ferson Creek Fen Nature Preserve, Norris Woods Nature Preserve and Hickory Knolls Natural Area.
  • OurQuadCities, Illinois land trusts earn grants, August 26, 2022
    The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has announced 10 grants totaling $500,000 for land trusts in Illinois – ncluding one in the Quad-City area – to support stewardship on land protected by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (INPC).
  • Daily Herald, Somme Prairie Grove recognized as Illinois Nature Preserve, June 25, 2021
    Somme Prairie Grove has benefitted from a vibrant stewardship community — led by the North Branch Restoration Project — since 1980 and represents one of the oldest and most comprehensive savanna and woodland restorations in the Midwest. The recovery of Somme Prairie Grove is credited to the long-standing participation of this cohort of dedicated and talented community volunteers.
  • OakPark.com, “Why we should care about Wolf Road Prairie,” June 23, 2021
    Wolf Road Prairie is one of the last remaining examples of undisturbed black-soil grassland on earth. Its unusually intact ecosystem supports a large, interdependent community of wild animal, plant and other species. A legacy of the indigenous nations that formerly held sway, it is now protected for future generations. Scientists, students, and tourists visit from all over to admire and study this beautiful place. An unspoiled landscape like this would be unusual in a wilderness area; that it exists in Cook County makes it even more remarkable. It’s so special, it’s shocking that anyone would consider doing anything to jeopardize its well-being.