PRESERVING NATURAL AREAS
for PEOPLE, for WILDLIFE,
FOREVER
in
EAST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS
Ribbon Cutting for Sangamon River Bluff Trail on July 18
Celebrate completion of a new trail connecting LCF's Bruce Hannon Levee Trail with Allerton Park, thanks to a collaboration between LCF, the City of Monticello, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Allerton Park and Retreat Center. Join us Saturday, July 18, at 9 am, at the Levee Trail parking lot. RSVP to LCF's Eric Mollahan.
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. Check our events calendar for details!
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.
Volunteers Rescue
More Than 300
Stranded Mussels
Last year's long summer drought left many freshwater mussels in the Sangamon River high and dry. LCF volunteers relocated more than 300 lucky mussels to deeper waters. Want to enjoy volunteering outdoors? Check our calendar for details about our Saturday Stewardship workdays. 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.