PRESERVING NATURAL AREAS
for PEOPLE, for WILDLIFE,
FOREVER
in
EAST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS
Enjoy Halloween
on the Levee Trail
NOTE: Rescheduled from 10/24. Drop in on Saturday, October 30, between 2 and 4 pm at the Levee Trail for a “make & take” nature craft from the Monticello Area Arts Council, treat bags, and more! Try our Spooky Nature Scavenger Hunt and watch for bats, spiders, owls—maybe even Bigfoot! The Scavenger Hunt is available all weekend; if you can't come to the event, download the form, then visit the trail any time October 30 or 31.
Levee Modifications Withstand Summer Floods
The Sangamon River peaked at 16.1 feet at Monticello on August 16, 2021, following extreme rainfall on August 12. LCF is grateful that the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation and LCF donors provided funding to do extensive modifications to our Bruce Hannon Levee Trail to better withstand major flood events like this. Note to visitors: water crossing the Levee Trail has a strong current; do not cross when water is flowing over the trail. Photo by Robert Darmody.
2022 Mudpuppy Festival & Sponsorship Opportunity
Our popular Mudpuppy Festival is back! Plan to join us Saturday, February 5, at Monarch Events Center in Monticello. Enjoy a Kids Fun Center with crafts, a "fishing" booth for prizes, face painting, and more. Want to sponsor this exciting event? Contact Steve Beckett, Festival Chairman, at 217-328-0263 or steve@beckettlawoc.com.
LCF Creates Robert Feller Stewardship Fund
LCF lost a devoted volunteer and friend with the passing of Bob Feller on June 15, 2021. In August, our board created the Robert Feller Stewardship Fund to support the stewardship activities that Bob selflessly devoted himself to, from trail maintenance, to controlling invasives, to myriad tasks such as installing Hike App signs. Please show your appreciation for Bob’s efforts and help LCF steward its land by donating to this fund now. Mail a check or donate online and note this special designation. Photo by Beth Otto.
LCF's New Land
Acquisition Opportunity
LCF has long had a long-term vision of completing a protected Sangamon River corridor in Piatt County. This will require acquiring pieces of the puzzle to complete this vision. We are now pursuing the possibility of acquiring an exciting 16-acre parcel downstream of our Sangamon River Corridor Reserve. We will hopefully have more news to share later this year.
Charlotte & Dan Brady Woods Nature Preserve
In January, the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission approved dedication of our Brady Woods property in western Champaign County as a Nature Preserve, giving it the greatest protection land can be granted in Illinois. LCF thanks Charlotte and Dan Brady for donating this beautiful 20-acre floodplain forest. 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.