Illinois awards $4.3 million in Conservation 2000 grants to protect environment         

[DEC. 17, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich awarded more than $4.3 million in Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation 2000 grants Nov. 20 to help local communities protect and improve Illinois' environment. These grants will benefit communities in 93 counties with projects such as an educational outreach seminar at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, highlighting the American bald eagle; training volunteers to monitor listed and rare plants at the Chicago Botanic Garden; and restoring the condition of Plum Island through reforestation.

"These grants are a critical investment in Illinois' diverse natural resources," Blagojevich said. "The projects are generated by local communities and will help protect the environment, provide more outdoor recreation opportunities, enhance tourism and grow the economy."

To date, the Conservation 2000 Ecosystems Program has awarded more than $29.9 million in grants, benefiting every county in Illinois and leveraging an additional $37.8 million in local matching funds and in-kind contributions, for a total of $67.7 million in projects throughout the state. In addition, nearly half a million citizens have been educated on natural resources stewardship, more than 62,000 acres of the Illinois landscape has been restored and nearly 5,580 acres has been permanently protected through conservation easements. Funding for these grants has been appropriated every year since 1995, using general revenue and bonds.

At the heart of the program is the Ecosystem Partnerships, a diverse group that advocates natural resource stewardship through its common interest in preserving the biodiversity of the local watershed community. Currently, 40 partnerships cover 85 percent of the state and represent more than 98 percent of the citizens of Illinois.

For more information on the Conservation 2000 Ecosystems Program, contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; [phone]; http://dnr.state.il.us/orep/C2000/index.htm.

A list of program grants and project descriptions follows.

Conservation 2000 grants

American Bottom Partnership
Counties: Macoupin, Montgomery, Jersey, Madison, St. Clair, Monroe and Randolph
Contact: Ed Weilbacher, [phone]

• Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development, $31,700
  Southwestern Illinois Resource Plan implementation -- This project will develop a practical implementation plan that communities can use to assist in working with information developed in the Land Use Evaluation and Impact Assessment Model and the Southwestern Illinois Resource Plan. The focus will be on how digital data can be used to protect natural, cultural and agricultural resources.
• Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development, $22,400
  Southwestern Illinois exotics brochure -- Southwestern Illinois will direct a multiorganizational effort to develop an exotics species brochure specifically tailored for southwestern Illinois. The brochure will be mailed to more than 15,000 landowners, identifying key exotic species and describing common methods of eradication, in an effort to better manage private property.
• Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development, $21,525
  Middle Mississippi River Partnership, vision document, Phase II -- This project will assist the Middle Mississippi River Partnership in the implementation phase of its vision document, assisting the multipartnership group in future restoration and public outreach activities.
• Trailnet, $7,000
  Eagle Days at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge -- Trailnet will conduct an educational outreach seminar at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, highlighting the American bald eagle.

Big Rivers Partnership
Counties: Calhoun, Greene and Jersey
Contact: Alley Ringhausen, [phone]

• Great Rivers Land Trust, $24,000
  Boy Scout Lake project -- Great Rivers Land Trust will develop and implement a plan to create a wetland area in association with the restored Boy Scout Lake in Madison County. The project will create sediment control, storm water retention, enhanced habitat for flora and fauna, and recreational and educational experiences for the entire community.
• Great Rivers Land Trust, $31,450
  Little Piasa pool and riffle project -- Great Rivers Land Trust will build riffle pools on one of six branches of the Piasa Creek. Benefits include reduction of stream bank erosion, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, and improved water quality.

Cache River Partnership
Counties: Union, Johnson, Alexander, Pulaski, Pope and Massac
Contact: Don Hankla, [phone]

• Union County Soil and Water Conservation District, $124,395
  Cache River critical area land treatment -- This project will provide cost share to landowners for restoration work on land that has been identified as a critical area of the Cache River.
• Union County Soil and Water Conservation District, $124,395
  Ecosystem-based best management practices to reduce sediment transfer in the Cache watershed
  -- Union County Soil and Water Conservation District will contact landowners within the Cache River watershed to identify and prioritize erosion problems. Once identified, the district will design ecosystem-based best management practices to fix the problems. The district will offer a cost share of 75 percent to landowners to install the practices.

Carlyle Lake Partnership
Counties: Christian, Montgomery, Shelby, Fayette, Effingham, Bond, Clinton and Marion
Contact: John Phillips, [phone], ext. 3

• Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District, $12,365.76
  Carlyle Lake watershed newsletter -- This project will allow the Fayette County Soil and Water Conservation District to continue publishing the Carlyle Lake Newsletter three times a year for two years. The publication reaches nearly 6,000 watershed land owners and operators.

Chicago Wilderness Partnership
Counties: McHenry, DuPage, Cook, Will and Lake
Contact: John Rogner, [phone]

• Chicago Botanic Garden, $43,419
  Plants of Concern: a volunteer-based, regional, standardized rare plant monitoring -- Plants of Concern staff will train volunteers to monitor listed and rare plants using standardized protocols. In its sixth year, Plants of Concern will expand the volunteer base, increase monitoring and analyze long-term data to track regional trends.
• McHenry County Conservation District, $35,032
  Preserving the Chicago Wilderness Mighty Acorns Program partnership -- This project will sustain and support the partnership's members by providing professional development and improving curricular materials and camp tuition assistance to at-risk students. The partners will continue to provide quality education on biodiversity and stewardship to elementary school students in seven collar counties of Chicago.
• Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, $44,138.81
  Lake Biodiversity and Protection Plan Development Pilot Project -- This project will complete three lake-specific biodiversity protection and recovery plans, one each for an exceptional, important and restorable lake. Lake County will be the pilot project area. The Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission and the Lake County Health Department Lakes Management Unit will identify, update and centralize existing data from various sources as well as develop a database and prepare the plans.

Driftless Area Partnership
Counties: Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll and Whiteside
Contact: Daniel Wegner, [phone]

• The Prairie Enthusiasts, $12,400
  Driftless Area Rare Plant Nursery -- The Prairie Enthusiasts will establish a rare plant nursery to supply seed for restoration projects. Rare, difficult or otherwise unavailable species will be selected. A total of 5,000 plugs, produced from local genotype seed, will be planted within existing Prairie Enthusiasts restoration areas.
• Glena Territory Association, $53,307.86
  Wetland rehabilitation and prairie restoration -- The Glena Territory Association will restore a declining wetland and reconstruct a 9-acre prairie on property that is connected to woods that are to be kept native forever. A secondary purpose of the project is to plant a demonstration prairie garden to encourage others to learn more about native plants and use them in restorations on their own property.

DuPage River Coalition Partnership
Counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will
Contact: Jim Kleinwachter, [phone], ext. 15

• Village of Carol Stream, $11,767
  Stream bank and shoreline education program -- This project consists of providing educational brochures, student training and informational signs along shorelines and stream banks that were rehabilitated using wetland plants and native prairie buffers. The goal is to raise awareness as well as to educate the public on how they can protect these vital areas.
• Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, $200,000
  Lyman Woods stream corridor and riparian habitat restoration -- The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, in partnership with the Downers Grove Park District, will restore a 37-acre area in Lyman Woods Forest Preserve. This restoration includes selective clearing and replanting of woodland, riparian, oak and prairie kame habitats that buffer Lacey Creek.
• The Conservation Foundation, $9,000
  Ferry Creek wetland restoration, Phase II -- The Conservation Foundation, working with the Warrenville Park District, will continue restoration efforts along an 8-acre riparian wetland adjacent to Ferry Creek, a tributary to the West Branch DuPage River. Work will include a prescribed burn, herbicide and broadcast seed over approximately 3 acres of existing wetland.

Embarras River Partnership
Counties: Douglas, Edgar, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Jasper, Crawford, Richland and Lawrence
Contact: Vince Gutowski, [phone]

• Douglas-Hart Nature Center, $3,500
  Habitat restoration and enhancement of Douglas-Hart Nature Center -- A wood chipper-shredder will be purchased to restore Douglas-Hart Nature Center's forest from the damage caused by invasive bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). The nature center will supply the removal work force and will use the removal as an educational outreach opportunity.

Fox River Partnership
Counties: McHenry, Lake, Kane, Kendall, DuPage, LaSalle and Cook
Contact: Becky Hoag, [phone]

• Fox Valley Land Foundation, $26,200
  Forested fen wetland habitat restoration -- This project will acquire 85 acres of Fox River shoreline, upland bluffs, wetlands and open space. This site is part of an assemblage of more than 400 acres targeted for acquisition.
• Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, $42,000
  Fox River Summit: Building Watershed Collaboration -- The Fox River Ecosystem Partnership will use a watershed summit to strengthen and expand interaction and collaboration with other watershed stakeholders. It includes a planning stage, a summit resulting in a plan of action, post-summit communication and activities to further the plan, and a second, follow-up summit.
• Dundee Township, $43,725
  Habitat restoration, Dixie Briggs Fromm -- Dundee Township will work on a hydrological restoration and habitat plantings next to Dixie Fromm Nature Preserve. This site contains a farm field, wetlands-riparian corridor and oak savanna remnants.
• Lake County Forest Preserve, $21,000
  Wagner Fen habitat restoration project -- This project will control invasive plants such as purple loosestrife and buckthorn at Wagner Fen State Nature Preserve. This wetland is owned and managed by the Lake County Forest Preserve and the conservation group Citizens for Conservation. These agencies will combine staff and volunteer efforts to restore the health of the site.
• Campton Township, $57,500
  Corron Farm natural area restoration -- Historic Corron Farm contains prairie, fen and sedge meadow, and savanna that are among best in the Chicago region. Campton Township will restore the hydrology, plant native plants and manage exotics in order to enhance existing savanna and wetland.

Headwaters Partnership
Counties: Ford, Champaign and Douglas
Contact: Bruce Stikkers, [phone], ext. 116

• Champaign County Forest Preserve, $28,150
  Restoring hydrology and native vegetation to Point Pleasant Wetland -- The project focus is to restore the hydrology and vegetation to the Point Pleasant Wetland at the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve.
• Urbana Park District, $49,825
  Judge Webber-Perkins Road Park restoration, Phase 2A -- The Urbana Park District will restore 6.5 acres of habitat on a former stream flood plain. This project creates a variety of habitat types for wetland and upland-associated wildlife, protects existing habitat, and improves area biodiversity. The area will also be used for conservation and public environmental programs.

Heart of the Sangamon Partnership
Counties: DeWitt, Macon and Piatt
Contact: Paul Marion, (217) 423-77058

• Macon County Conservation District, $37,500
  Habitat management equipment -- The Macon County Conservation District will purchase a multiterrain rubber-tracked crawler with head attachments to control exotic and invasive woody vegetation. This will allow for restoration and habitat management on Macon County Conservation District lands.

Illinois River Bluffs Partnership
Counties: Bureau, Fulton, Knox, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Peoria, Putnam, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford
Contact: Kevin Williams, [phone]

• Irene Cull Chapter, Illinois Native Plant Society, $20,600
  Garlic mustard control at Jubilee -- This project is the first phase of a two-step plan to reintroduce native plant populations to areas of Jubilee College State Park that have been taken over by garlic mustard. The goal of this project is to control and eradicate garlic mustard from as wide an area as possible within heavily infested areas of Jubilee College State Park.
• Illinois Audubon Society, $48,430
  Plum Island Sanctuary reforestation -- The Illinois Audubon Society, with assistance from Living Lands and Waters and Illinois Natural Areas Improvements, will restore the biodiversity and ecological conditions of Plum Island by the process of reforestation. Beneficiaries of this will be bald eagles, woodland songbirds and the nearly 2 million annual visitors to Starved Rock State Park.
• The Nature Conservancy, $242,514.25.
  Prairie habitat restoration at Emiquon Preserve along Illinois River -- The Nature Conservancy will plant and nurture a biologically diverse mix of prairie forbs and grasses on formerly farmed land to restore a habitat that once flourished along the flood plain of the Illinois River at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve.
• Ducks Unlimited, $84,700
  Wightman Lake wetland restoration and demonstration project -- The Wightman Lake project will restore 85 acres of diverse, high-quality wetland habitat on a 370-acre property purchased by Ducks Unlimited. The project will serve as a demonstration area for wetland restoration and management, improve water quality, and connect habitat areas along the Illinois River.

Kankakee River Partnership
Counties: Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Vermilion and Will
Contact: J.R. Black, [phone]

• City of Kankakee, $56,335
  Soldier Creek restoration, Phase 2 -- Further habitat enhancement and stream bank stabilization tasks identified in the original Soldier Creek project will be implemented on the north and south banks of Soldier Creek, an urban stream tributary to the Kankakee River.
• Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District, $109,645
  Waldron Arboretum addition -- Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District will purchase a 36-acre parcel adjacent to an existing Kankakee River Valley Forest Preserve District site.

Kaskaskia River Partnership
Counties: Montgomery, Bond, Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, Marion and Washington
Contact: Larry Hasheider, [phone]

• Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District, $22,000
  Garlic mustard control in the Kaskaskia basin -- Garlic mustard was identified in the Elkhorn Creek drainage area of the Kaskaskia River basin approximately five years ago. Local volunteers, landowners and governmental agencies will remove the exotic weed in an effort to eradicate it from the area.
• Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development, $16,334
  Shoal Creek watershed stream stabilization -- This project will use existing aerial photography in accessing and developing stream bank stabilization projects for Shoal Creek in Bond and Montgomery counties. Landowners will be contacted and feasible projects will be designed and submitted to the Illinois Department of Agriculture for implementation.

Kinkaid Area Watershed Partnership
Counties: Washington, Perry and Jackson
Contact: Lou Strack, [phone]

• Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission, $97,700
  Establish transitional wetland at Kinkaid Lake -- This project will establish a 2,260-foot long and 10-foot wide transitional wetland between the proposed berm and the severely eroded upland shoreline to create favorable habitat for natural succession of plant and animal life.

Kishwaukee River Partnership
Counties: McHenry, Boone, Winnebago, DeKalb and Ogle
Contact: Nathan Hill, [phone]

• Natural Land Institute, $273,500
  Clear Water Legacy: Phase 3 -- The Natural Land Institute will purchase perpetual conservation easements on eight forested parcels -- approximately 210 acres -- protecting a four-mile stretch of a biologically significant stream, the South Branch of the Kishwaukee River.
• Belvidere Park District, $107,500
  Belvidere Dam fish passage project -- The Belvidere Park District, along with a diverse group of stakeholders, will develop an alternative for implementing fish passage at Belvidere Dam.

Lake Calumet Partnership
Counties: Cook
Contact: Mark Bouman, [phone]

• Chicago State University, $29,576
  Enhancing educational activities at Chicago State University Community Teaching and Research Prairie -- Chicago State University will enhance educational activities connected with the prairie garden to strengthen community-building efforts. The grant will support environmental education and establish an education and volunteer coordinator who will coordinate prairie garden visits, educational activities and development of educational materials.

LaMoine River Partnership
Counties: Adams, Brown, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Schuyler and Warren
Contact: Martha Sheppard, [phone]

• Landowner, $3,324
  Western Illinois University Ferster Woods, Toland connected habitat area -- This project proposes to develop 16 acres of Toland property, adjacent to the 30-acre Western Illinois University Ferster Woods, to form a connected habitat area. The Toland addition will be fenced for grazing and timber stand improvement, and tree replanting will increase the quality of the habitat.

Lower Des Plaines Partnership
Counties: Cook, DuPage and Will
Contact: Jim Nachel, [phone], ext. 112

• Medinah Park District, $157,620
  Medinah Wetlands acquisition. Medinah Park District will coordinate with DuPage County Forest Preserve to acquire approximately 23 acres of wetlands. It will coordinate partnerships with homeowners and environmental groups to restore and preserve wildlife habitats -- plant, animal, hydrology -- and buffer zones and offer educational opportunities for area school districts and educational groups.
• Village of Homer Glen, $48,560
  Hydrologic studies in Long Run Seep. The project will attempt to delineate and characterize the recharge area for Long Run Seep, using specialized dye techniques. Local hydrology will be studied for purposes of understanding its effect on the Hines emerald dragonfly habitat, a federally listed endangered species.
• Village of Homer Glen, $40,000
  Longitudinal profiling of Long Run Creek -- The Long Run Creek planning committee will conduct a detailed physical and biological survey of the stream channel and stream corridor. Assessment of the biology and physical habitat will be used to determine whether the biodiversity of the system can be sustained or restored and to identify intervention strategies. Students will aid in data collection.

Lower Kaskaskia River Partnership
Counties: Macoupin, Montgomery, Madison, Bond, St. Clair, Washington, Randolph, Perry, Monroe and Jackson
Contact: Norm Etling, [phone], ext. 3

• Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development, $21,637.50
  Conservation subdivision guidance -- This project will create a guidance document for use within southwestern Illinois to encourage the use of conservation subdivisions. Local experts will use existing information in the documents development. The document will be presented to officials at both the county and community level to encourage the adoption of its recommendations.
• Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development, $17,500
  Southwestern Illinois bluff ecosystem restoration -- This project will facilitate exotic species removal and brush control on at least six high-quality natural areas along the bluff ecosystem in St. Clair, Monroe and Randolph counties. Approximately 50 acres of hill prairie, glade and forested bluff, which contain rare species found nowhere else in the state, will benefit from the work.

Lower Rock River Partnership
Counties: Lee, Whiteside, Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, Ogle and Carroll
Contact: Larry Reed, [phone]

• Landowner, $7,020
  Rock River flood plain habitat -- This project will provide a woody flood plain habitat and restore an upland sand prairie. These habitats will connect to existing Conservation Reserve Program and native wooded wetlands.
• Rolling Thunder Prairie, $8,790
  "See Two Thousand Weeds Disappear" -- This project is to continue restoring Rolling Thunder Prairie to the rich sand prairie it was before it was settled. Employees will aggressively remove and control invasive Old World plants and continue overseeing local ecotype natives.
• Dixon Park District, $10,625
  Meadows Park restoration project -- Dixon Park District will apply proven management techniques to restore natural communities, including old-growth forest, savanna, dolomite cliffs and prairie at the 400-acre Meadows Park along Rock River in Lee County. Restoration will increase diversity of native flora and provide quality wildlife habitat for species of concern.
• The Nature Conservancy, $16,087.50
  Prescribed fire expansion project -- Prescribed burn fire equipment will be upgraded at Nachusa Grasslands to promote the restoration and management of the preserve and to increase The Nature Conservancy's ability to provide burning assistance to neighbors and other conservation partners.

Lower Sangamon Valley Partnership
Counties: Cass, Christian, Logan, McLean, Macon, Macoupin, Mason, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Sangamon, Shelby and Tazewell
Contact: Marilyn Kelton, [phone], ext. 3

• Landowner, $3,380
  Parrish Hill prairie restoration -- This project will restore 36 acres of loess hill prairie habitat along with associated timbered ridges, valleys and prairie within the Panther Creek watershed. It will also ensure the successful regeneration of two state-listed endangered species.
• Jennie Marr Dunaway Memorial Park, $9,721.94
  Summer Daze youth program -- This project will educate students on natural resources and conservation through hands-on activities.
• Menard County Soil and Water Conservation District, $18,920
  Grassland enhancement -- Menard County Soil and Water Conservation District will enhance acreage enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program and other similar programs. Warm-season grasses and native forbs will be planted to increase wildlife.

Mackinaw River Partnership
Counties: Ford, Livingston, Mclean, Mason, Tazewell and Woodford
Contact: Mary Jo Adams, [phone]

• Woodford County Soil and Water Conservation District, $1,787.50
  "What's in YOUR Woodlands" -- The Woodford County Soil and Water Conservation District will conduct a management workshop for landowners of woodland and riparian establishments to enhance the wildlife habitat. Targeted landowners will be provided with an educational opportunity to learn about best management practices for improving and managing their timber and riparian areas. The intended result will be an increase in higher quality habitat.
• Landowner, $11,120
  Riparian corridor reforestation project -- Project will consist of planting native trees and shrubs along Denman Creek, a high-quality tributary to the Mackinaw River. This will restore the riparian buffer width, connect fragmented forested habitat, provide food for wildlife and serve as a host site for ecosystem best-management practices.

North Branch of the Chicago River
Counties: Cook and Lake
Contact: Sean Wiedel, [phone]

• Lake County Forest Preserve District, $72,462
  Elm Road northern flatwoods and savanna restoration project -- The Lake County Forest Preserve District will restore these areas, with integrated pest management, reforestation and native seeding, using best management practices. The restoration will increase connectivity of regionally important communities, restore the potential habitat of three threatened plant species and offer a buffer to a high-quality northern flatwoods community.
• Youth Conservation Corporation, $15,115
  Youth Conservation Corporation Lake Bluff conservation crew -- The YCC summer crew will remove garlic mustard, exotic and invasive brush and tree species. The project will reintroduce native species and help with community reconstruction.

Ozark Hills Partnership
Counties: Union, Alexander, Jackson and Randolph
Contact: Michael Baltz, [phone]

• Union County Soil and Water Conservation District, $264,000
  Improving wildlife habitat with ecosystem-based best management practices -- The purpose of this project is to improve the wildlife habitat using best management practices to correct erosion problems at sites having a potential of six tons of soil loss or more.

Prairie Parklands Partnership
Counties: Kendall, LaSalle, Grundy, Will, Cook, Kankakee and Livingston
Contact: Rita Renwick, [phone]

• Forest Preserve District of Will County, $20,000
  Savanna and sedge meadow enhancement at Pottawatomie Woods Preserve -- This project will preserve the existing Illinois Natural Area Inventory sedge meadow at Pottawatomie Woods Preserve by monitoring vegetation, controlling invasive species, installing fire lines and developing and implementing a prescribed burn plan. The Joliet Park District will also provide access to this preserve.
• Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance, $6,000
  "Common Spiders of Prairies and Savannas of Northeastern Illinois" brochure -- Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance will produce 10,000 copies of a color brochure that illustrates 20-30 common spiders of prairies and savannas. The biology of each species will be described briefly. The brochure is intended for distribution at sites within the Prairie Parklands.

Rock River Partnership
Counties: Ogle
Contact: Robert Vogl, [phone]

• Girl Scouts, Rock River Valley, $47,000
  Prescribed firebreak creation and complementary educational strategies -- This project will create firebreaks as well as thin savannas and wetlands of excessive woody plants to allow safe and efficient reintroduction of prescribed burning. Educational strategies will also be developed for members, board, campers and surrounding communities to share reasons and methods for reintroducing prescribed burns.
• Flagg Rochelle Community Park District, $26,903
  Natural area restoration, Skare Park -- Skare Park contains high-quality remnants of oak and hickory savanna, sedge meadow, wet prairie, and ravine ecosystems. The park district will restore these remnants by removing invasive woody herbaceous flora, collecting and planting seed, and reintroducing prescribed burns.
• Byron Forest Preserve District, $19,550
  Undesirable brush and small- to medium-diameter tree removal in the Rock River Partnership -- Project will purchase a Fecon Bull Hog skid steer attachment to be used for mechanical removal of medium-diameter exotic and opportunistic native woody vegetation in natural areas throughout the Rock River Partnership. It will be used as a cost-effective management tool in restoring prairies, wetlands, and oak savanna and woodland communities.

Saline Watershed Basin Partnership
Counties: Franklin, Williamson, Johnson, Saline, Hamilton, White, Gallatin and Hardin
Contact: Bobby Simpson, [phone]

• Saline Basin Watershed, $158,926
  Prescribed burn project -- The goal of this project is to develop and support four prescribed burn crews within the Shawnee and Saline River partnerships. This project will provide equipment, training, organization and coordination necessary to burn more than 2,200 acres of both prairie and oak-dominant forested areas.

Shawnee Partnership
Counties: Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope and Saline
Contact: Grover Webb, [phone]

• Pope-Hardin Soil and Water Conservation District, $30,970
  Control of exotics in the Shawnee -- Pope-Hardin Soil and Water Conservation District will assist landowners with exotic plant control of garlic mustard, Chinese yam and Chinese packing grass.
• Pope-Hardin Soil and Water Conservation districts, $196,534
  Woodland Habitat Enhancement Program, Phase II -- This program will encourage landowners to implement forest management plans for their existing woodland and will provide cost-share funds to landowners interested in forest stand improvement to their property.

Sugar Pecatonica Rivers Partnership
Counties: Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Carroll and Ogle
Contact: Dave Mullen, [phone]

• Stephenson Soil and Water Conservation Districts, $127,300
  Fen and sedge acquisition and easement -- Thirty acres of a rare, high-quality graminoid fen wetland and sedge meadow will be acquired and placed in a conservation easement for its preservation. Management of the fen and control of invasive species will be conducted by district staff. Access will be provided for educational and scientific study purposes.
• Natural Land Institute, $75,000
  Nieman Marsh conservation easement -- This project will place a perpetual conservation easement on one of the most important, unprotected wetlands in the Pecatonica River basin. Nine threatened and endangered birds use the property, including two nesting species.

Thorn Creek Macrosite Partnership
Counties: Cook and Will
Contact: Karen D'Arcy, [phone]

• Thorn Creek Management Commission, $34,150
  Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve Prairie Restoration -- The Thorn Creek Woods Nature Preserve Management Commission will restore the prairie-forest boundary mapped by the general land surveyors in the 1830s. In order to accomplish this goal, invasive brush will be removed, herbicide will be spread on stumps and native prairie seed installed.

Upper Des Plaines Partnership
Counties: Lake, DuPage and Cook
Contact: Jim Anderson, [phone]

• Land Conservancy of Lake County, $20,969.50
  Wetland enhancement at Pohickory Nature Preserve, Phase 3 -- A total of 8.3 acres of wetlands and uplands at the 31.5 acre Pohickory Nature Preserve will be enhanced to increase floristic quality and the wildlife habitat. The Land Conservancy of Lake County will have students control exotic weeds and shrubs by spraying herbicide, brush clearing, seeding and plant propagation.
• Liberty Prairie Conservancy, $44,000
  Liberty Prairie Preserve Restoration Project, Phase 5 -- Liberty Prairie Conservancy will work to naturalize a 15-acre farm field, restore 1,000 feet of stream corridor and evaluate the removal of an earthen dam upstream. The project will improve water quality, reduce erosion, restore the habitat and enhance the hydrology of this site.
• Upper Des Plaines Ecosystem Partnership, $49,400.
  Promoting stakeholder information sharing and learning -- The Upper Des Plaines Ecosystem Partnership has identified a number of important watershed tasks and will provide opportunities for stakeholders to share valuable information, experiences and knowledge about the watershed.

Upper Little Wabash Partnership
Counties: Clay, Coles, Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Marion and Shelby
Contact: Fred Walker, [phone]

• George P. Irwin Conservation Education Station, $13,430
  Irwin Conservation Education Station enhancement -- This project will restore and maintain natural plant communities -- upland prairie, forest, riparian corridors and wetlands -- at the Irwin Education Station. The project goals will be achieved through the control of exotic species and woody encroachment, greater use of prescribed burning, and woodland management practices.
• Ballard Nature Center, $65,400
  Fauna survey of the Upper Little Wabash -- Ballard Nature Center staff will conduct baseline surveys throughout the Upper Little Wabash Partnership to determine fauna distributions and identify priority sites for management and protection
• Effingham County Soil and Water Conservation District, $61,800
  Aerial video assessment for Little Wabash tributaries -- The Effingham County Soil and Water Conservation District will complete an aerial video assessment of selected tributaries in the Little Wabash River in Effingham and Clay counties. The assessment will be used in the partnership's planning process to determine where and what type of practices should be implemented for resource conservation.

Upper Rock River Partnership
Counties: Boone, Stephenson and Winnebago
Contact: Ed Johnston, [phone], ext. 3

• Natural Land Institute, $401,000
  Kinnikinnick Creek buffer land acquisition -- The Natural Land Institute will purchase and restore to prairie 52 acres of farmland between Kinnikinnick Creek and the Stone Bridge Nature Trail in Roscoe. This will create a 73-acre prairie, protect a biologically significant stream and buffer a land and water reserve and Illinois Natural Area Inventory site that is home to the threatened Lespedeza leptostachya.

Vermilion River Partnership
Counties: Vermilion and Iroquois
Contact: Kevin Green, [phone]

• Vermilion County Soil and Water Conservation District, $16,000
  Install 200 acres of native grass habitat -- The project will continue the successful installment of 1,000 acres of native grass habitat. The additional 200 acres will meet the partnership's goals to increase nesting and winter habitat, increase the overall wildlife population, decrease soil erosion, and increase water quality.

[News release from the governor's office]

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