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...
Thank you WAND News for coming out to the planting to learn more about the event! 🌳
We will post more about this when we're back in the office on Monday, but this event went SO well today! Despite the overcast skies and chilly temperatures, we had 107 volunteers - young, seasoned, and all ages in between - show up and show us the meaning of community. People may have stepped off the wagons covered in mud and chilled after planting trees, but it was the smiles we saw on every face and the exclamations of "We had so much fun!" that made every gust of wind and slosh of mud worth it a hundred times over.
Our volunteer photographers will go through the photos from the day and we will share them once we receive them! THANK YOU so much to all who came out today, and all who supported the fundraiser. There are only 19 trees remaining until all 1,000 are fully funded, and we are blown away by the generosity and dedication to Macon County's natural resources our community has! 🌳
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Today's Saturday Stroll at Rock Springs Nature Center has been cancelled, as staff as busy at our Tree Planting event.
We hope to see you next weekend at the Festival of Spring!
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You might have thought that in the excitement for the Rooted in Community: 1,000 Tree Planting Event that we had forgotten all about our annual 2026 Festival of Spring at Rock Springs Conservation Area, but we can assure you that behind-the-scenes, we have been as busy as little spring bees! 🐝
This will be our 45th year observing Earth Day and all things spring, and we're certainly going to be going all out to celebrate! New this year, we have a few vendor booths selling homemade crafts and goodies, we have RockWell Coffee Company coming out to make sure all our guests stay properly caffeinated, KLC Creations food truck will be taking care of the food this year, we have SO many community organizations coming out, and we have a special guest that will be leading one of our spring-themed hikes.
We hope to see you out to kick off spring with a big family-friendly celebration on Saturday, April 25!🪻
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Cheers to 45 Years!🍷🌳
Ticket sales for the 2026 Wine in the Wild are now live! The Macon County Conservation Foundation is so excited to be hosting this event for the second year, and this year there is a special song that was written just for the event. We will be posting teaser clips of it throughout the coming months, but to hear the full song played live and in-person the night of the event, you'll want to get your tickets purchased! We have upped the capacity to 125 this year, but with it selling out with a wait list last year, you won't want to wait to snag your spot.
This will also be the event to celebrate the Foundation's 45-year anniversary, and we have a goal to raise $45,000 for 45 years of supporting the preservation and restoration of Macon County's natural resources.
You can find all the details and the link to buy tickets in the event post below. We hope to see you there!
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