News & Media
There’s always something happening at the Macon County Conservation District! Staff and volunteers work all year round to provide you with educational programs, restore natural areas, and preserve historic sites. To know what’s going on:
Prairie Islander
Subscribe to the Prairie Islander, our free, quarterly newsletter. You may also read the current issue online or subscribe to our mailing list to have the Prairie Islander emailed to you each quarter. Scroll to the bottom of any page on our website to sign up!
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries about stories or photo requests, call 217-423-7708. If you wish to receive our news releases and photo opportunities via email, send a message to mccd@maconccd.org or call 217-423-7708.
Social Media
Receive trail condition updates, see the work we’re doing, and share pictures of your visits to the conservation areas by following us on Facebook.
60 Years of Conservation, Community, and Connection
All good stories start with an idea, and the story of the Macon County Conservation District is no different. The story of MCCD is one of commitment, drive, and belief. So, where did the idea come from? To find that answer, we must go all the way back to 1935 – 31 years before the District was formed.
Creature Feature – Northern Bobwhite
The Northern Bobwhite Taylor Buley As of July 2024, there are a total of 459 species of birds living in Illinois. One of these species is the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), also known as the Virginia quail or bobwhite quail. They share the order Galliformes with three other bird species in Illinois: wild turkey, greater prairie-chicken, and the ring-checked pheasant. Galliformes is the order containing grouse, quail, and turkey families. The Northern Bobwhite is unique because they are the only quail species native to the Eastern United States. They are in the family Odontophoridae or New World Quail, in comparison...
Explore the Universe with the Macon County Conservation District’s New StarLab Planetarium Experience
We here at the Macon County Conservation District are thrilled to announce the new presentation structure for our brand-new StarLab Planetarium – a fully digital, portable dome that brings the wonders of space and astronomy up close directly to your school or organization. It’s thanks to the generous support from the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation and additional funding from the Macon County Conservation Foundation that we are able to deliver immersive, unforgettable learning experiences to our community and beyond. A Portable Planetarium That Brings The Wonders of Space to YOU The StarLab Planetarium accommodates 30-40 participants and can...
Weathering the Cold, Part One: Brumation
Illinois is home to over 54,000 different species of wildlife, and the majority are species of insects. Often, the time of year dictates when we can see some of our more familiar species. As fall and winter begin to make their way into Illinois, the animals we see moving around begin to change.
Living on the Edge: Part 3
Part 3—Learn about the importance of the boundary zones where two distinct habitats meet in this three part article series.
Exploring Nature with Your Senses
Sometimes the best way to connect with nature isn’t through facts and field guides—it’s by slowing down and tuning in. Whether you’re walking a wooded trail, sitting beside a prairie, or pausing near a wetland, nature has a way of speaking to all five senses.
We've spotted our first summer migratory bird! A gorgeous summer tanager was enjoying a suet cake at the Window on Wildlife feeders this morning at the Rock Springs Nature Center.
Have you caught a glimpse of any of the summer birds that are starting to arrive?
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the excessive rainfall we received last night, both the Rock Springs-Fairview Park Bike Trail AND Sand Creek Conservation Area are closed due to flooding and wet conditions. We will update you once they reopen.
Thank you for your understanding.
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Here are a few of the moments captured from the Rooted in Community 1,000 Tree Planting event. It truly was an amazing day and we can't thank the 107 amazing people who came out despite the chill and the mud to help us get almost all those trees in the ground enough. We only had less than 200 left to plant after the day was done, so staff went out on Monday to finish it up.
It was a great experience for staff to see so many people excited to get involved. We hope that many great memories were made that day, we're sure that scooping cold, muddy water out of holes is an experience they won't soon forget!
They showed us what the word "community" truly means and Macon County is lucky to have so many people who care about the natural resources and wild spaces we are so fortunate to have. While we know we will not see the savanna in its full-grown glory in our lifetimes, it's wonderful to know that future generations will be able to walk through a full-grown oak savanna someday because of their hard work. 💚🌳
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We are loving the posts that we're seeing from community members who joined us for the Rooted in Community: 1,000 Tree Planting Event we had this past Saturday! 💚🌳
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📚Happy World Book Day to all our book loving followers – and maybe soon-to-be-followers 👀 (You should follow us, we’re pretty cool for a bunch of nature nerds).
We’re bringing back the book exchange to the 2026 Festival of Spring at Rock Springs Conservation Area this Saturday, April 25! You can bring in your own books to exchange, or leave a small donation for the books you would like! The Friends of the Decatur Public Library will have a table nearby as well for you to browse.
And the literary fun doesn’t stop there, we are excited to welcome two local authors for book signings. Our two special guests are Carol Alexander, author of 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑔 𝑆𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑎𝑙: 𝐴 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝐴𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑃𝑖𝑔’𝑠 𝑆𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒, 𝐿𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝐻𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠; and Carolyn Harmon, author of 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑛’𝑠 𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝐼𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑠.
Check out more activities for the big day at www.maconccd.org/annual-events-mccd/festival-of-spring/
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