Illinois

Together with its partners, the Fund has safeguarded nearly 50,000 acres across Illinois. By leveraging public and private support, the Fund pioneered new approaches to conservation and development, led restoration efforts at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, and spearheaded the protection of fragile wetlands and waterways along the Fox River.

Copperhead Hollow State Wildlife Area

Warblers, wood thrushes and whip-poor-wills migrating through Illinois gained more room to stretch their wings, thanks to the efforts of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the National Wild Turkey Federation and a partnership between the natural gas pipeline project Rockies Express Pipeline (REX), The Conservation Fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Located on 19,000 acres about an hour’s drive southwest of Chicago, Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is the country’s largest restoration project for tallgrass prairie. In partnership with CorLands and the USDA Forest Service, the Fund acquired a critical 90-acre parcel, which serves as a southern gateway to the prairie complex. The project helps create contiguous habitat for such sensitive species as Henslow’s sparrow, king rail and least bittern.