The Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Act and The Conservation Foundation

Yellow Star Grass at Dayton Bluffs Land and Water Reserve

In 2017, the Natural Areas Stewardship Act was passed by the state of Illinois. Established to promote stewardship of natural areas, it defines and creates programs to protect elements of natural diversity. The Conservation Foundation lobbied to get it passed and has since been active in activities supported by the Act’s grants program. Let’s go a little deeper into the Act and The Conservation Foundation’s involvement.

In 2017, HB3458-The Natural Areas Stewardship Act (NASA) was drafted to address the need for funding conservation efforts. Senator Tom Bennett (who at the time was a state representative) and Senator Jason Barickman sponsored the bill. Thanks to the advocacy work of several conservation organizations, including The Conservation Foundation and the Prairie State Conservation Coalition, NASA passed in 2017. Established to promote stewardship of natural areas, the Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Act defines and creates programs to protect elements of natural diversity. Key points include:

1. Grant Program: The Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Grant Program allocates grants to conservation land trusts, fostering stewardship on dedicated Nature Preserves and registered Land and Water Reserves (Illinois General Assembly).
2. Purpose: The Act aims to enhance stewardship capacity within Conservation Land Trusts, emphasizing the importance of preserving natural elements (Illinois Natural Heritage).
3. Impact: Over five years, the Act has enabled the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to grant funds to conservationists and land trusts, contributing to effective land preservation (Illinois Environmental Council).

In summary, the Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Act establishes a grant program to support conservation efforts, emphasizing the preservation of natural diversity in the state.

The Conservation Foundation has received two grants supported by NASA. The grants have enabled (and will enable) The Conservation Foundation and other land trusts to complete important land stewardship and restoration work on high quality natural area sites. Many thanks to Renae Frigo who led and will lead the The Conservation Foundation efforts!

The first grant awarded was in the amount of $82,500. The cycle covered work completed October 2021 – October 2023. Below is a summary of the accomplishments from the final grant report. That grant supported work done at The Conservation Foundation-owned Dayton Bluffs Land and Water Reserve and at O’Hara Woods Nature Preserve (owned by the Village of Romeoville, but The Conservation Foundation has helped oversee ecological management of the site the past few years). Grant funds covered portions of The Conservation Foundation full and part time staff salary, hiring contractors to perform canopy thinning and prescribed burns at both sites, and equipment (brush saw, chain saw, backpack sprayers, hedge trimmer, and other tools related with maintenance).

The Conservation Foundation has recently been awarded a second grant with funds for the current grant cycle (September 2023 – August 2025) in the amount of $51,282. This grant will support work only at Dayton Bluffs. See the project description below for more details.

IDNR’s Natural Areas Stewardship Grant: 2021 – 2023

O’Hara Woods Nature Preserve Accomplishments

• Contractors completed canopy thinning in approximately 15 acres of mesic upland forest.
• Contractors and staff thinned excessive deadfall in select areas to better facilitate prescribed burns.
• Contractors performed a prescribed burn on approximately eight acres.
• Invasive plant management took place year-round, targeting Garlic Mustard, Bush Honeysuckle, Multiflora Rose, Canada and Bull Thistle, Reed Canary Grass, and Common Reed.
• Check dams were installed in eroding ravines, created utilizing excessive deadfall.
• Interns were trained on the safe operation of chainsaws, obtained herbicide licenses, learned plant identification, created check dams, collected and distributed native seeds, managed invasive plants, and assisted with canopy thinning.
• Sensitive plant species were evaluated.
• Seasonal scouting took place for previously present conservative (rare) plant species.
• Volunteers assisted with many of these tasks.
• Neighbors received notification and educational information about ecological work happening in the Preserve.
• Key staff from the Village of Romeoville were notified and educated on ecological management work.

Prescribed Burn

Dayton Bluffs Land and Water Reserve Accomplishments

• Staff and Friends of Dayton Bluffs (FODB) volunteers completed canopy thinning in select areas of oak woodlands.
• Staff, FODB volunteers, and contractors managed invasive trees and brush in many areas throughout the site, targeting Bush Honeysuckle, Black Locust, Cottonwood, Multiflora Rose, and Autumn Olive.
• Contractors, staff, and trained FODB volunteers performed prescribed burns in several woodland and prairie areas, including the northern 24 acres of oak savanna.
• Invasive herbaceous plant management took place, targeting Garlic Mustard, Bird’s-Foot Trefoil, Canada Thistle, Reed Canary Grass, and Common Reed.
• Check dams were installed in eroding ravines, created utilizing excessive deadfall.
• Interns were trained on safe operation of chainsaws, brush-saws, hedge trimmers, obtained herbicide licenses, learned plant identification, created check dams, collected and distributed native seeds, managed invasive plants, and assisted with canopy thinning.
• Sensitive plant populations were evaluated.
• Over 175 pounds of native seeds were collected, processed, and redistributed on the property by staff and volunteers.
• Two ephemeral wetlands were created in low, poorly drained prairie areas. While this was a separate project, these areas will offer new habitat and support many species.
• Seven QR coded signs installed, codes download audio interpretive narratives.
• Our amazing FODB volunteers assisted with many of these tasks.

Seed spreading by FODB volunteers.

IDNR’s Natural Areas Stewardship Grant 2023 – 2025 (Project Description):

The Conservation Foundation owns and is the ecological manager of the 253-acre Dayton Bluffs Land and Water Reserve. We recently received grant funds to complete the following activities with assistance from ecological contractors and increased staff time: identify ecological changes, management concerns, and compliance with registration agreement; control populations of non-native species; thin canopy as appropriate; maintain community structure through use of prescribed burns; and manage weed species in the created prairies. Equipment we hope to secure with funds includes a skid-mounted firefighting sprayer unit. Grant funds would allow us to increase capacity to address invasive species management on a larger scale with advanced equipment that we do not have, work on sloped terrain that is difficult for volunteers, put in more hours of labor, burn more acres, and utilize specialized skillsets that our volunteers may not have.

So how can you contribute to conservation efforts that help with stewardship of natural areas? Well, that is what The Conservation Foundation has been doing for more than 50 years. We can all do more together than we can alone. Join our collective momentum – become a member today!

Feel free to comment on this blog with your thoughts on conservation and the Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Act.

By Steve Stawarz, Oak Brook
DuPage County Advisory Council Member

Renae Frigo
Land Stewardship Manager, The Conservation Foundation