Friends of the Sangamon Valley

09/03/2026

Join the Illinois State Museum, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Monarch Project, and a host of community partners as we celebrate Illinois’ state insect, and everyone’s favorite garden visitor, the Monarch Butterfly! Enjoy FREE games, activities, giveaways, and more at this community event – rain or shine!

Learn more here: https://illinoisroute66.org/event/monarch-butterfly-festival/

Illinois State Museum Route 66 Monarch Flyway Illinois Department of Agriculture Illinois Monarch Project

09/03/2026

08/19/2026

Wolfgang is a Friends of the Sangamon Valley member! We appreciate his support and admire his dedication to native landscaping!!

Wolfgang Arterberry says he has 70 different species of native plants in his one-acre yard.

But what he sees as protecting prairie plants, some of his neighbors see as a problem. He has received two violation notices from the city of Springfield warning him to mow his property or face fines.

While he found a resolution to his situation, he hopes to educate people about laws protecting those who plant Illinois-native species on private residential lawns.

Article link in comments.

Share your thoughts by emailing [email protected].

08/18/2026

Anyone curious about how the Sangamon river begins and flows, take a look at this graphic. All the water eventually ends up in the Illinois river which eventually winds up in the Mississippi.

08/12/2026

Calling all birders! Here's a great opportunity to explore TNC's Emiquon preserve on a guided birding hike with two-time Cook County Birding “Big Year” record holder, Tarik Shahzad. This event will be divided into two separate hikes. Participants are welcome to attend one or both portions of the day.

🦅 6:00–8:00 a.m. Hike the Ridge

🦆 9:00–11:00 a.m. Hike the Public Use Area & Secret Spot

This event is free to attend but registration in advance is required.

For all the details and how to register, visit https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/events/emiquon-bird-hike-august/?en_txn1=s_fbo.reg_mw.x.x

08/03/2026

Our pals at Grand Prairie Friends are hiring!

07/26/2026

Exciting news! The updated Illinois Wildlife Action Plan is here, guiding efforts to protect our native species and their habitats. This important plan is regularly updated to keep up with changing conditions and the latest research. Check out the newest revision and learn how Illinois is working to support wildlife: https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/iwap.html

07/07/2026

Thanks to our wonderful family of volunteers for all of their work at Gudmundson Wildlife Sanctuary!

05/14/2026

Thanks to the Illinois Military Academy Senior Leadership Group for volunteering at our Wolf Preserve yesterday! They moved downed limbs off of a trail and cleaned up the neverending accumulating litter along Boy Scout Trail Road. We couldn't do all that we do for natural areas in the Sangamon River Watershed without volunteers!

04/30/2026

Thanks to our new friends at Heartland Coca-Cola!

We kicked off Day of Action on Wednesday with 9 volunteers from Heartland Coca-Cola! We matched their team with Friends of the Sangamon Valley, right along the banks of the Sangamon River- where they removed invasive species, seeded pollinator plots, and helped with trail work. Protecting our natural spaces is community care too. Thank you, Heartland Coca-Cola for your hard work on Wednesday (and your sponsorship of Day of Action 2026!)