Macon County Conservation District

30/08/2026

🚴 Just a heads up for our cyclists — early bird pricing for the 2026 Prairie Pedal fundraiser put on by the Macon County Conservation Foundation is coming up quick!

⏳ Only 2 days left to save — August 31 is the last day to take advantage of the lower pricing.

The ride is Sunday, September 27 — just 29 days away! You can find the link to register in the comments below. 🚲

28/08/2026

Looking for family-friendly, budget-friendly fun this weekend? We've got you covered at Rock Springs Conservation Area!

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲
🥾 10am — Join a Naturalist for a leisurely Saturday Stroll and learn about what you see along one of our trails. Meet inside the Rock Springs Nature Center.
🏡 1-4pm — Free guided tour of the Homestead Prairie Farm, a home built in the 1860s

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲
🏡 1-4pm — Homestead Prairie Farm tours
📖 2pm — Sunday Storytime in the Children's Awareness Room at the Rock Springs Nature Center

Can't make it this weekend? No worries, trails at all of our sites are open daily from 7am to sunset, so there's always time for an adventure!

We hope you'll join us for some fun this weekend! 🌳

27/08/2026

🍂 The Fall edition of our Prairie Islander newsletter has arrived! 🍂

We have a limited supply of free hard copies available at the Rock Springs Nature Center — stop by for a visit and grab one while they last! Or skip the trip and get it delivered straight to your inbox instead.

Sign up to have it sent to your email by Tuesday, September 1 so you don't miss out on all the fall programs and events we've got coming your way.

Head to the link in the comments to sign up — just scroll to the bottom of any page and look for the blue box!

27/08/2026

🍂Mark your calendars and get ready for the Fall Harvest Festival & Food Truck Frenzy on Saturday, September 12!

Celebrate fall with an afternoon of family fun at Rock Springs Conservation Area! New this year, we are partnering with the United Way - Decatur & Mid-Illinois to bring the Food Truck Frenzy to Rock Springs. The Food Truck Frenzy begins at 12pm with the rest of the Fall Harvest Festival starting at 1pm.

You can find the full list of activities and details in the comments below. We hope to see you there! 🎃

26/08/2026

🦌 Deer Herd Management (Adult & Youth) and Upland Game Hunting applications are OPEN.

Rules, regulations, and applications are linked in the comments below. Get your paperwork in and get ready for the season.

25/08/2026

🌳Job Opening Opportunity!

We are looking for a Natural Resources Intern. Under the direction of the Natural Resources Manager, this position will assist with natural areas management and habitat restoration throughout Macon County. The majority of work will be outdoors. Most of the work is physical, and will include the use of equipment such as hand tools, power tools, machinery, and herbicides.

You can find the full job description in the link in the comments below. Feel free to share this with someone who you think would be interested!

25/08/2026

*𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄*

The flooding has receded and the Bike Trail has been reopened!

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Bike Trail at Rock Springs Conservation Area is currently closed due to flooding. We will update when it reopens. Thank you for your understanding.

24/08/2026

👨🏼‍🏫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬!

School's back in session, and that means it's time to lock in your field trip plans! Did you know our field trips run all year long? Our Educator's Guide is packed with nature and history programs guaranteed to leave your students saying "WOW!" 🌿

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬? The Decatur Area Audubon Society is once again offering their Bus Transportation Grant this year, making it easier than ever to get your class out the door and into the outdoors.

📖 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩? Check out the link in the comments to browse our full Educator's Guide. From reptiles to plants to the StarLab Planetarium, our programs can be adapted to any grade level.

🚌 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭? Reach out to our Director of Program Services, Alysia Callison, at [email protected] — she can walk you through eligibility and the application process.

Don't wait — spots fill up fast! We can't wait to introduce the wonders of nature to your students this fall. 🍂

24/08/2026

This one is for all of our night owls out there.🦉

This Thursday, August 27 we will we having a Partial Lunar Eclipse Viewing at Rock Springs Nature Center. We'll kick the night off with a presentation about eclipses, talking about what they are and what terminology is used. After that, we will head outside to view the eclipse; if weather allows we should be able to see roughly 94% of the moon obscured.

This program is free and just requires registration by noon, Wednesday August 26. Come out and enjoy the night sky with us for our final August program (don't worry, we have a TON of fall programs lined up for you to enjoy!) You can find the link to register in the comments below.🌒

20/08/2026

Quick PSA for tomorrow, Friday, August 21📢

The Rock Springs Nature Center will be closed tomorrow until 2pm for staff training and development. We thank you for your understanding!