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Illinois is home to a unique variety of special natural
places. Deep forests, winding rivers, rugged bluff lands, rich marshes
and vibrant grasslands can all be found in the Prairie State.
The Foundation supports nonprofit groups and local governments
in their efforts to protect and preserve important habitat areas across
Illinois. The Foundation also provides grants to assist small and emerging
organizations to expand their capacity, and to enable established groups
to plan strategic habitat acquisitions. All told, Foundation grants
have protected nearly 12,000 acres of habitat throughout the state.
Guidelines
- Acquisition of important natural areas and
wildlife habitat.
- Planning efforts leading to acquisition of
priority natural areas.
- Building capacity of nonprofit organizations
that acquire and manage natural areas. Only nonprofit organizations
with annual operating budgets less than $100,000 may apply for a capacity-building
grant and these grants are limited to no more that $40,000 over a
two-year period.
Success Stories
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Wetlands & Bottomland Forest, Pecatonica
River, Winnebago County
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Grantee: Natural Land Institute (NLI)
Amount: $298,500
Date: April 2005
A Foundation grant to the Natural Land Institute (NLI) protected
230 acres of high quality bottomland forest and wetlands along
the Pecatonica River in Winnebago County. Through the purchase
of two conservation easements, NLI secured two tracts of land
that are part of a larger complex of public and private land
along the river that has been protected and restored, including
the 721-acre Nygren Wetland Preserve and three county forest
preserves.
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Plum Island, LaSalle County
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Grantee: Illinois Audubon Society
Amount: $370,340
Date: March 2004
Illinois Clean Energy granted the Illinois Audubon Society
the full cost of purchasing Plum Island, a 55-acre island in
the Illinois River, adjacent to Starved Rock State Park. The
island provides critical winter habitat for bald eagles and
has been dedicated by Illinois Audubon as a permanent sanctuary
and nature preserve. Developers had proposed to build as many
as 50 cabins and a marina on the island, which lies midstream
in the Illinois River.
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Mississippi Bluff Tops,
Monroe County
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Grantee: Illinois Audubon Society
Amount: $850,000
Date: October 2004
With Foundation support, the Illinois Audubon Society and the
Illinois Nature Preserves Commission partnered to acquire a
conservation easement on nearly 500 acres of Mississippi bluff
tops near the Village of Valmeyer. These Monroe County
bluffs provide critical habitat and support rare hill prairies
and glades. The property connects other protected lands
in the region, creating an important corridor of natural areas.
It has now been designated as the Salt Lick Point Nature Preserve
by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.
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Hoffman/Blatnik Island, Will County
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Grantee: Forest Preserve District of Will
County
Amount: $200,000
Date: April 2003
A Foundation grant to the Forest Preserve District of Will
County supported the acquisition of the 163-acre Hoffman/Blatnik
Island in the Kankakee River. Illinois Clean Energy's $200,000
grant was combined with funding from the Illinois Department
of Natural Resources Open Lands Trust and other sources to acquire
the $652,000 property. The Island includes sand savanna, upland
and floodplain forest, and wetlands. Protecting the parcel was
the first step in linking Kankakee River State Park, the Wauponsee
Glacial Trail, and the Forked Creek Greenway.
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