Middle Rock Conservation Partners

06/02/2026

Recently, Bill K. visited the Hill Site prairie planting and took the photos below. The native plants have established very well and there were no weeds to deal with at the 2001 planting. Plant diversity was high and full of native plants taking up lots of space and keeping out the exotic plants. In the photos below, he observed Bicknell’s sedge, lupine, pale purple coneflower, hairy penstemon, western sunflower, lance-leaved coreopsis, prairie coreopsis, wild quinine, June grass, goats rue, and one exotic red clover.

05/16/2026

We had a productive volunteer work day at the John & Arlene Hildebrand Natural Area near Grand Detour today. We spent the morning cutting and clearing brush. The hope is to open up the forest floor on a south facing slope which holds vast promise for an abundance of native plants hidden too long in shade. Thanks to Mike C. and Damian C. for their previous work in basal barking honeysuckle and forestry mowing to open up the area. Thanks to Mike C., Dave B, Tom P., and Tim S. for moving the brush off the slope and into a pile to be burned later.

05/02/2026

The Illinois Audubon Society’s official Spring Bird Count date is May 9, 2026.

Home Spring Bird Count **2026 SPRING BIRD COUNT: MAY 9** The Spring Bird Count (SBC) is an annual bird count conducted by volunteers on the Saturday between May 4 and May 10. The censuses are conducted in all 102 counties in Illinois; however, in any given year, a few counties are not censused. Each...

04/20/2026

M.R.C.P. had a busy and early prescribed fire season. You may have seen M.R.C.P. volunteers and equipment assisting at several natural areas. We began burning in February this year and our fires were mostly completed by early April. One of our favorite places to burn is the Edward F. Vassallo Land and Water Reserve (Private). It is a beautiful area and the Soderholms always treat the fire crew to a delicious taco feast from La Esmeralda Mexican Restaurant in Polo, IL after the fire is rung. It makes for a wonderful day!

04/19/2026

The “Those Were The Days” free program at the Depot in Oregon, Illinois Saturday, April 25 at 10:00 a.m. features M.R.C.P. President and Nachusa Grasslands volunteer Mark Herman, presenting an overview of the Nachusa Grasslands and its ecological significance. His talk will cover the restoration of this landscape—from small prairie remnants and oak savannas into more than 4,000 acres of diverse habitats—as well as the return of wild bison to Illinois in 2014 and their role in completing the tall grass prairie ecosystem. The presentation will provide a general understanding of the history, management, and ongoing conservation efforts that make Nachusa Grasslands a leading example of habitat restoration.

02/20/2026

MRCP recently held their annual meeting and dinner in Oregon, IL. We celebrated this year’s addition of the Hildebrand property to our Sam and Edna Hill Prairie site south of Grand Detour, IL, the success of our prescribed burns, and the hard work of our Fecon operators at various sites in the area. The future and direction of MRCP was also discussed as were annual changes in officers and directors. We had over two dozen people in attendance and over 40 people dining and listening to author and speaker, Cindy Crosby, afterwards. We even had our first branded merchandise available! If you’re interested in donating and becoming a member and volunteer of MRCP, a QR code has been included below. We’d love to have you!

02/12/2026

Today, we conducted a prescribed burn at a 14 acre sedge meadow at Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary southeast of Amboy. Illinois Audubon Society’s Director of Land Stewardship, Jamie Arntzen, led the burn with volunteers from I.A.S., Middle Rock Conservation Partners and Nachusa Grasslands. The sedge meadow burned very well. Regular fires will help suppress weeds in this area that has also had a lot of willow removal done over the last couple years. We’re excited to see how this unit develops this spring!

11/17/2025

Last week, M.R.C.P. volunteers conducted a prescribed burn at the David O. & Helen M. Wiegel Memorial Tallgrass Prairie in northwest Lee County. This 12 acre site, often called “Mound Hill”, is owned and managed by the Lee County Natural Area Guardians (LeeN.A.G.). It is the second highest point in Lee County and can be seen from quite a ways off as one approaches. There is remnant prairie on the hill but the flatter, lower areas were once plowed and are being reseeded with seed harvested from above. The regular application of fire will help reestablish the prairie plants and push back on invasive species. At present, no public access is allowed .