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
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A Solid Foundation
By Ashton Dukeman We here at the Macon County Conservation District wouldn’t be able to do what we do without several vital things that all play major roles in our daily operations, including our amazing volunteer base, our stellar and knowledgeable staff, and of course, the public that we serve. One other major piece of the puzzle that makes up the Macon County Conservation District is the Macon County Conservation Foundation. As the fundraising arm of the District, the Macon County Conservation Foundation actively works to restore and preserve local natural areas, and to ensure a good quality of...
April is Citizen Science Month
by Beth Lane April is Citizen Science Month, and is celebrated by renewing the effort to involve the public in scientific research projects. But why should we care? Citizen Science is a collaboration between public and scientific professionals to collect and analyze data for research projects. It has pseudonyms such as: community science, crowd science, crowd-sourced science, civic science, participatory monitoring, or volunteer monitoring. Citizen scientists are not always professional scientists! In fact they can be any age, from any walk of life, with any amount of experience. All that is really needed to be a citizen scientist is curiosity...
A Natural Partnership
By Ethan Snively For over a decade, Dr. David Horn’s biology classes at Millikin University have assisted the Macon County Conservation District with various natural resources projects, totaling well over 1,000 volunteer hours. This partnership with Millikin has been important for both the students and MCCD. While the Conservation District gets hands-on help for projects that would otherwise not get completed, the students get realworld experience, which Horn says better prepares them for their professional careers. “At Millikin University, we emphasize both theory and practice,” Horn said. “Ecological principles can be taught in the classroom and those concepts can...
Only one more week until we start stacking up the pancakes to kick off 60 years of conservation, community, and connection at our 60th Anniversary Pancake Breakfast ! Here's another throwback photo from the pancake breakfasts of the past of staff and volunteers making sure there is plenty to go around.
We've started getting the supplies ready and can't wait to welcome our community to one of our first of many anniversary celebrations.🥞
Tickets for the all-you-can-eat breakfast are available day-of, but advance purchase is strongly encouraged to ensure availability. The link to pre-purchase your tickets will be dropped in the comments below!
With the warmer weather months creeping up, we're already getting community events on the calendar - like for instance a certain 𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 event in Argenta this Saturday that you'll be able to find us at 👀. If you have had us out to an event before and would like us to return, or if you have a new event or have never had us out to your event before, we'd love to hear from you! To fill out a brief information and contact form, you can head to forms.cloud.microsoft/g/S6vQx8Nm7x or email ADukeman@MaconCCD.org, and our staff will reach out to you to learn more about your event!
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📸 What does this old photo have to do with our brand-new event we posted?
This photo was taken in 1978, when local kids rolled up their sleeves to plant trees along Dipper Lane at Rock Springs Conservation Area for Arbor Day. Those trees didn’t just grow—they became part of the landscape, the memories, and the community.
Today, we’re carrying that tradition forward.
🌱 We’re launching our Rooted in Community: 1,000 Tree Planting Event - to be held on Saturday, April 18. This is a hands-on community effort to plant 1,000 trees at Fort Daniel Conservation Area in Mount Zion. These trees will grow into an oak savanna that future generations can explore, learn from, and call their own.
And just like in 1978, it takes a community to make it happen.
There are so many ways to get involved:
🌳 Purchase a tree (or a few!)
🤝 Volunteer to help plant—no donation required
💚 Start an individual or team fundraiser
🌲 Become a sponsor
🏢 Get your business, organization, club, church or classroom involved
📣 Share this campaign, tag friends, family, and community members, and help spread the word
This opportunity isn't just open to our Mount Zion residents, or even just Decatur folks. We want ALL of Macon County and our neighboring county supporters to come out and be a part of this event!
The kids in this photo planted something that lasted nearly 50 years.
Now it’s our turn.
👉 Learn more, get involved, or dig in with us here: givebutter.com/1000TreesEvent
Strong communities start with deep roots—let’s grow something amazing together. 🌳
📷Photo info: Arbor Day tree planting near Dipper Lane at Rock Springs Conservation Area June 1978. Credit Macon County Conservation District
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Have you purchased your tickets for our 60th Anniversary Pancake Breakfast yet? We're excited to kick off our milestone year with this throwback breakfast! 🥞
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Check out the programs and events this week at the Macon County Conservation District! You can find our full list of events with registration details at www.maconccd.org/events/
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