What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Prairie Land Conservancy

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Macomb, IL
Prairie Land Conservancy

We are a division of Prairie Hills Resource Conservation and Development.
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Founded in 2008, the mission of Prairie Land Conservancy is to preserve wildlife habitat, open space, natural areas and sustainable agricultural land within west-central Illinois.

08/26/2026

You can make a difference at Wigwam Hollow Bird Sanctuary!

Join us for a volunteer work day and training this Sat from 9 AM - Noon. Lunch provided!

Get your hands dirty making fire breaks to protect our tree plantings before the prairie burn season.

Registeronline at https://pheasantsforever.org/get-involved/find-an-event/events/ed3ed913-4a3f-4a9f-aef5-ccb105bc8497?slug=wigwam-hollow-work-day-and-fire-workshop

08/25/2026

Thank you Brent and Carrie Fowler for hosting a second Conservation Tour this season!

Twenty-two folks joined this wagon tour exploring the Sapp farm in McDonough County.

"I have 35 miles of row crop edge I'm trying to manage for Bobwhite quail," explained Brent as he stood in the prairie in front of the crowd of eager listeners. "The first time I saw a covey after I started this work, it lit a fire underneath me."

That fire was shown as the Fowlers stopped along different prairie sections to talk about the lessons learned about prairie management over the years. From controlled burns, managing tree encroachment, to communicating the conservation work with the land owners the Fowler's farm with.

"Bobwhite quail like it messy," is how Brent summed up describing the habitat these treasured birds need.

Thank you all for supporting local conservation this year! You all helped create this space for community members to share their knowledge.

We have one last Conservation Tour in Hancock County coming up next month. Learn more and register on our website prairielandconservancy.org/events

08/19/2026

Stony Hills Nature Preserve is 200 acres of beautiful oak hickory forest and restored prairie…but almost nobody in Hancock County knows it exists.

That is, until this last weekend. Thanks to your support, NatureFest brought families to the preserve. To learn about prairies. To hike the trails. To connect with their natural heritage.

Stony Hills Nature Preserve was put into permanent land protection in 2009 at our land trust. But to keep caring for this public green space, it needs community support. From members like YOU. Who make it possible for our volunteers to burn the prairies to support biodiversity. To bring families outdoors to learn about and experience these conservation efforts firsthand.

One family ended up staying to explore Stony Hills Nature Preserve more after the Saturday event was long over. This local family now has a special relationship with this hidden prairie paradise thanks to YOU.

And shout out to Master Naturalists for driving through the rain to come volunteer!

08/18/2026

Join us tomorrow morning at Elwood Wildlife Preserve to make a difference in the oak savanna!

From 9 AM - Noon, join a volunteer-led crew to help protect wildlife habitat and protect the public trail systems on this public greenspace.

Address: 4607 W Elwood Drive Peoria IL 61604

08/15/2026

You can help us break ground on a building dedicated to conservation!

With a Stewardship Building, our stewardship staff who care for your protected landscapes won't have to maneuver around the office computer servers anymore. They'll have a dedicated space to get oily working on our truck and UTVs. Or to dry out prairie seeds for next year's planting.

Your purchase of a dinner ticket at our Extending the Prairie Table Fundraising Dinner on Sept 26th will help us get one step closer to being able to protect more land with a Stewardship Building!

Purchase your $80 tickets TODAY by calling 309-833-4747 to reserve a seat and pay at the door, purchase online at www.prairielandconservancy.org/events, or mail in a check to 321 W University Drive Macomb, IL 61455.

We're excited to celebrate conservation with you all!

08/14/2026

It looks like the weather should clear up by 10 AM tomorrow morning in time for NatureFest at Stony Hills Nature Preserve!

Join us for
-hiking trails
-FREE nature journals
-Guided activities by volunteers
-Silhouettes in the prairie!

Location: Stony Hills Nature Preserve
1325-1421 IL-96 Niota, IL 62358

Time: 10 AM - Noon. Drop in open house style!

Bathrooms available

08/11/2026

Last Friday, our stewardship coordinator Kirsten Boesen and Angella Moorehouse of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission led a visit to Short Fork Seep, a privately owned property managed by IDNR as a designated Nature Preserve.

Prairie Land Conservancy is a strong partner with IDNR. Angella explained that PLC is doing renovation work on the grove ecosystem. A grove is a small version of a savannah with localized clusters of trees and grassland plant understory.

The seep includes wetland plants including large native pussywillow bushes that visitors were able to see.

This tour highlighted a successful community conservation effort! One might even say it takes a village to care for the land ;)

08/10/2026

NatureFest returns this Saturday! Join us for an open-house style family environmental education event. Hosted at our Stony Hills Nature Preserve in Hancock County from 10 AM - Noon.

Land trust staff and Illinois Extension Master Naturalists will be available for guided activities. There will also be independent exploration available as well along the trails.

Rumor has it there are life-sized animal silhouettes such as bison waiting in the prairie for you to discover...

08/07/2026

Thank you Robin for taking some photos of the Volunteer Bat Crew at Wigwam Hollow Bird Sanctuary!

Robin and other volunteers have been going out EVERY week to change out SD cards in our audio bat monitors.

So far this summer, over 100,000 bat calls have been recorded. USF&W is working on the data to identify the native species of bats recorded. We are particularly excited to see how many of the calls are endangered bats like the Indiana Bats that we know live on our bird sanctuary!

Thank you to our volunteers and to our members like you who make this work possible. Protecting threatened and endangered species and habitats like the wetlands and prairies here.

Address

321 W. University Drive
Macomb, IL
61455

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+13098334747

Website

http://www.prairielandconservancy.org/

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