St. Clair County Greenspace Foundation

09/04/2025

02/16/2025

The largest remaining unbroken block of forest in Illinois is located in southern Illinois along the Kaskaskia River.

Nearly 40% of Illinois used to be forest. Today only around 13% of forest land remains. Large blocks of connected forest, like along the Kaskaskia River, are critically needed for mammals and birds, like prothonotary warblers and screech owls. Many animals that rely on these large habitats, like black bears, no longer live in Illinois due to habitat loss (though sometimes they pass through).

HeartLands Conservancy and other landowners along the Kaskaskia River have been working for decades to keep the forest intact. If you're interested in learning more about this important area, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has a great summary:https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/publications/documents/00000423.pdf

02/16/2025

I’ll be speaking at the Spring Nature Photography Symposium on March 8th hosted by the Friends of Crab Orchard NWR in Marion, Illinois. The topic will be closely held information…my favorite spots to view wildflowers! The event is free, but registration is required.

02/16/2025

March 15th is right around the corner. Volunteering at BHG will start back up, and we are expecting our biggest year ever! Stewards are planning, learning, and preparing to grow this thriving community that is Belleville Heart Garden.

Tomorrow, we will attend the SEED St Louis conference of area gardens. BHG Stewards will speak about how we invite engagement in our little slice of heaven.

We are excited to get back to our dirt and our friends. Mark your calendars, and join the fun.

02/16/2025

ATTENTION HICH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO PLAN TO PURSUE A HEALTH-RELATED FIELD OF STUDY: SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY...
Visit our website for more information: https://loom.ly/9JaO57c

Applicants must reside in St. Clair County Illinois.

02/16/2025

02/16/2025

When the Pallottine Retreat and Conference Center in North St. Lous County found that its beautiful oak trees were dying (due to being inundated with oak galls), the community knew they wanted to plant new trees to take the place of their receding canopy. Luckily, a Pallottine employee was involved in the Missouri Master Gardener Association and recommended Forest ReLeaf. With our organization as a resource, Pallottine was able to plant 15 native trees along the entrance driveway of the Center.

Pallottine hosts over 5000 guests a year, and they aim to keep their campus beautiful so that visitors can appreciate natural grandeur during their retreat. These guests will have the opportunity to walk along the driveway and see the memorial trees that were planted, blessed, and marked with a plaque that honors both past and current Pallottine Missionary sisters. As the trees grow, they will continue to honor these women while adding natural beauty and enhancing the air quality of the Center.

02/16/2025

🚨 Deadline Extended!🚨

We’ve extended our Summer Research Internship application deadline to Friday, February 21st! Don’t miss this opportunity to gain hands-on experience in ecological research.

Check out the updated flyer below for the new application link.

Apply now and take the next step in your research journey! 🔬✨

www.ngrrec.org/education/internship-program/index.html

02/16/2025

𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈: 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲

The Horizon II project, which started in 2023 and spans five years, aims to combine ecosystem services, renewable energy, and enhanced grassland wildlife habitat in a financially viable manner.

Join this webinar to learn about the USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities Grant project Horizon II, a program carried out by partnership of 13 organizations in Missouri and Iowa led by Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE). Speakers include Steve Mowry, Director of Prairie Establishment at RAE, and Ben Kruger, Senior Vice President of the Renewables Division at Roeslein & Associates.

This free webinar, to be held via Zoom, will include a presentation and a live question-and-answer session. The webinar will be recorded with a link to the recording sent to all registrants and posted to the MPF YouTube channel.

Wednesday, February 26 at 4:00 p.m. Register here: https://ow.ly/H5ap50UXTOT

𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑂𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑒