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.
Living on the Edge: Part 2
Part 2—Learn about the importance of the boundary zones where two distinct habitats meet in this three part article series.
9th Annual Summer Concert Series
This outdoor concert series sponsored by Stifel Investment Services is held every other Sunday in the summer, and features a variety of bands and performers that play Americana, bluegrass, folk, old-time, and more. Bring a lawn chair or a picnic blanket and sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Living on the Edge: Part 1
In the world of ecology, the "edge" refers to the boundary zone where two distinct habitats meet. These transition areas, known as ecotones, are crucial to the health and functionality of ecosystems.
A Spring Awakening
By Alysia Callison As the days get longer and the air warms, the natural world begins to buzz with signs of spring. One seasonal staple is the appearance of baby animals – new to the world, they often cause concern for well-meaning folks who find them in their yards, along roadsides, or in green spaces. So, what should you do if you find a baby animal? Leave it alone! Unless the animal is clearly injured or showing signs of distress, don’t touch it. Oftentimes, the parents know where the baby is and will return to check on it. Relocating the...
Shake Off Winter with a Dose of Nature
By Ashton Dukeman Celebrate the end of cabin fever because spring is here! Color and sunshine will finally be coming back into our lives as plants start to bud and bloom and the sun banishes those winter-gray skies. What better way to shake off the winter blues than by getting outdoors in less than four layers of thermal gear. During the winter months, when many of us are confined to our homes, screens become a go-to source of entertainment to pass the time. This habit can be hard to break once the weather starts to warm, often leading to less...
District Project Updates
By Jerry Culp With the busy summer and fall seasons behind us, we’re turning our focus to several exciting new projects that will benefit both our community and local ecosystems. Here’s a look into three of our biggest projects. Indoor-Outdoor Classroom A new Indoor-Outdoor Classroom is being constructed in the lower level of the Rock Springs Nature Center thanks to funding from the Park and Recreational Facility Construction Act, or PARC Grant, through the State of Illinois. It will feature: Adaptive Classroom Space: With a glass wall that will open to the outside and cohesive flooring that translates...
Check out these drone shots of the area at Fort Daniel Conservation Area where the 1,000 trees were planted! It's a neat sight to see when standing on the back porch of the Woodbine Farm house and looking out over the field at all the restoration work that's happening.🌳
🌿We've got to give our volunteers some major credit. We had a bush honeysuckle removal day at our Griswold Conservation Area and we had 13 volunteers show up and put in some WORK!
The progression of the photos shows just how much these dedicated volunteers were able to clear. For the first time in at least 15 years, we were able to open up a strip clear to the top of the viewing platform at the top of the kame. Glacial deposits that had once been covered under the dense invasive underbrush are now visible.
We will keep working to clear out the invasives and restore the native species on that site to not only bring back the natural biodiversity, but to also open up more land so people can see all that this glacial formation has to show us.
The impact that these volunteers had in just one day is astounding. We continue to be amazed by the people in our community who care about their local wild spaces enough to come out and put in sweat and time to help us follow our mission. THANK YOU to those who joined us for this workday!
Interested in becoming one of our volunteers? We would love to have you join our team! You can reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator Jenny Garver at JGarver@MaconCCD.org or head to our volunteer page at www.maconccd.org/get-involved/volunteer/ to learn about all the opportunities we have available.
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Now that we have all the pictures in, we can share a few of the shots captured from our Festival of Spring on Saturday, April 25! We had such an amazing turnout for this event and we want to thank everyone who was involved and all who helped us make this day such a success! We can't wait to do it all again next year. 🪻☀️
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☀️Who's ready for laid back summer Sundays with some good music?
We're excited to announce our lineup for the 2026 Summer Concert Series at Rock Springs Conservation Area! These free one-hour long concerts are the perfect way to end a long week. Bring a chair or picnic blanket and relax on the lawn while the talented musicians play the night away.🎶
Every other Sunday starting May 31 through August 9. 7-8pm at the Rock Springs Conservation Area.
We can't wait to see you there!
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🦃Check out this handsome fellow! Staff were able to hurry downstairs to catch some shots of this wild tom turkey trying to impress the ladies.
*Side note, they were not impressed. Sorry Tom, better luck next time.
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