PRESERVING NATURAL AREAS
for PEOPLE, for WILDLIFE,
FOREVER
in
EAST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS
Volunteer for Second Saturday Stewardship
Assemble ecowarriors! Help remove invasive plants from 10 am to noon on the second Saturday of each month — all year long! Learn about local ecology while making an impact in your local communities. To sign up, send email to Eric Mollahan. The location varies; we'll get in touch with details. If the weather looks questionable, we'll contact you directly.
New Trail Connects LCF's Levee Trail to Allerton Park
A new trail connecting LCF's Bruce Hannon Levee Trail with trails at Allerton Park officially opened in July, thanks to a collaboration between LCF, the City of Monticello, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Allerton Park and Retreat Center.
Grant Supports New "Art and Nature Entwined" Program
LCF is committed to providing opportunities to experience the synergy between art and nature. Toward that end, LCF sought out and received a $43,000 grant from the Dale and Deborah Smith Foundation. This grant will provide the support to expand and enhance the inclusion of art-focused nature experiences at our preserves into 2027. Programming starts with "Poetry at the Preserve" and a "Plant Sketching" workshop.
LCF Helps Local Environmental Research
LCF has stepped up collaboration with local and state organizations, providing locations, labor, or both! At Jasmine Hollow, the Illinois Natural History Survey is counting caterpillars. In Champaign water basins, LCF is helping test for phosphorus to see if water quality improves as it moves through stormwater systems. We're helping the Illinois Department of Natural Resources document snakes near an LCF property. And we encouraged future land stewards by working with Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations.
Photo Competition
Take your best shots at any LCF property and submit up to two entries in each of these categories: Landscape; Plants; Fungi; Animals (insects, birds, frogs, fish, mammals); and Creative, which can include artistic editing. Email your entries to Eric Mollahan by May 30, 2027. A committee will choose the best entries, with the winners receiving an LCF hat and shirt!
Submitted photos may be used for future LCF marketing purposes. Photo by Melissa Records.
Follow a unique raised trail to the Sangamon River and our floodplain forest restoration. Visit the Sangamon River Corridor Reserve near Monticello.
LCF works to ensure a future with abundant clean water by focusing on rivers, wetlands, and groundwater.
All creatures who share our Illinois home benefit from LCF's work to connect and improve natural lands and waters.
LCF offers opportunities to encounter nature nearby, inspiring wonder and a future commitment to preservation.
Coyotes, mink, busy beavers, a bobcat, and a bunch of turkeys! They've all been caught on camera at our Sangamon River Corridor Reserve.