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.
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.
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.
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...
📢Open house announcement!📢
We will be holding a Public Open House on Tuesday, August 11 from 5-6pm at the Rock Springs Nature Center. The open house will provide Macon County residents with an opportunity to view proposed plans for improvements to the Kaufman Lakeside Conservation Area.
The primary objectives of this project are to create a new hiking trail, small parking lot, interpretive shelter, a pollinator garden, and a fishing pier, adding another publicly accessible recreation area for the community to enjoy.
The meeting will take place in the Monarch Room in the lower level of the building, directional signage will be present. Residents will have a chance to view printouts of the plans, and feedback, comments, and questions are welcome and encouraged. 📋
If you weren't able to make our History of Macon County Conservation District program we had on July 11, you're in luck! We recorded the program and it can now be found on our YouTube channel! This program is presented by long-time employee Melody Arnold and covers the early years of the District, and how and why it was formed. The video is approx. 48 minutes long and includes a brief Q&A session at the end. Have any questions or would like to know more about something? We'd be happy to get the answers for you!🎥
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This week's Sunday Storytime is cancelled, but there is still plenty of other fun things to do at Rock Springs on Sunday! Explore the Nature Center, tour Homestead Prairie Farm, or stop by to watch the Summer Concert Series: Back Porch Trio concert!
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With Jimothy's rise to fame, it's a good reminder to let our wild things stay wild 💚🦝
You can find a short article written by our staff for the 2023 fall Prairie Islander about this subject in the comments below!We wrote and deleted a whole think-piece about Jimothy - can fame and wildness ever coexist? Are parasocial relationships and anthropomorphizing two sides of the same coin?? - but we’ll spare you that and just say, please give wild things the space to be wild. Even when they’re cute, or different, or famous.
That can mean driving with care on park roads (and all roads). It can mean keeping food closed safely in a bear can when you backpack. It can mean seeing an animal and knowing that it means something special to you, and that it has the best shot in life if you don’t try to get close. It’s a good way to love them.
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