News & Media
There’s always something happening at the Macon County Conservation District! Staff and volunteers work all year round to provide you with educational programs, restore natural areas, and preserve historic sites. To know what’s going on:
Prairie Islander
Subscribe to the Prairie Islander, our free, quarterly newsletter, by emailing us your name and mailing address at [email protected]. You may also read the current issue online or subscribe to our mailing list to have the Prairie Islander emailed to you each quarter. Scroll to the bottom of any page on our website to sign up!
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries about stories or photo requests, call 217-423-7708. If you wish to receive our news releases and photo opportunities via email, send a message to [email protected] or call 217-423-7708.
Social Media
Receive trail condition updates, see the work we’re doing, and share pictures of your visits to the conservation areas by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
☕We've got a special guest coming for the 43rd Annual Festival of Spring this Saturday the 27! Staff here is pretty excited and we're willing to bet you will be too! If you haven't heard, 121 Coffee Run now has a custom built Airstream they can use to take to events so you can get your 121 on the Run! And we're lucky enough to be their first event! They'll be out at the Rock Springs Conservation Area this Saturday for the Festival of Spring, so come on out and check out all the fun we have to offer, and to show them some support with their new mobile coffee trailer!🧋
🌎Hooray! It's Earth Day!🌏 Today is the day we celebrate this big blue marble that we call home. Let's celebrate our amazing planet today and every day. Here are a few ways you can show your love for Earth:
♻️Reduce, reuse, recycle! ♻️ These simple steps can make a big difference.
🌳Plant a tree! Trees clean our air, provide shade, and create habitats for wildlife.
🦺Join a local cleanup! ️ Every bit counts when it comes to keeping our communities clean.
Want to celebrate even further? Join us this Saturday, April 27 for our Festival of Spring! We will have Festival of Spring: Bird Banding in the morning, the Festival of Spring: Sangamon River Cleanup, and the 43rd Annual Festival of Spring itself from 12-4pm! We've got a lot of fun activities planned, so come on out and see what we have!
It was so great having the Heritage Behavioral Health Center Gallery of Hope in our nature center! Thank you to all who came out and made it a success and thank you to Heritage Behavioral Health Center for choosing Rock Springs Nature Center to hold it in! 🎨
1 CommentComment on Facebook
We could not have asked for a better location and day to have it! You guys are such a great organization to work with. Thank you!
Trading Tractors for Tadpoles
During the summer of 2023, we took on the task of constructing three wetlands at two District locations. Fort Daniel Conservation Area, located east of Mt. Zion, is where one of the wetlands was constructed, and the other two at Friends Creek Conservation Area, located in the northern portion of Macon County near Cisco. This is one of the largest earthmoving projects the District has done in-house; every member of the Operations staff had a role in this construction project.
Beyond Brick & Mortar: Building the Future of Education with Open Walls & Open Minds
In 2023, we applied for - and received - a grant from the IDNR to construct an indoor-outdoor classroom in the lower level of the Rock Springs Nature Center. This project will focus on increasing our programming space at the Nature Center by constructing additional indoor and outdoor learning facilities and structures.
Let Them Be Wild
We understand more than most that baby animals are downright adorable, but is it ever a good idea to take an animal from the wild to keep as a pet? The answer to that would be, no. No matter how cute a wild animal is, removing them from their home in the wild to bring in and attempt to keep them as a domestic animal is never advisable for many reasons.
Giving Tuesday
Giving Back This Giving Tuesday Giving a little helps a lot. On Giving Tuesday, people all around the world do their part to give back! This year, we're asking for your support to help us protect and conserve the natural resources of our community. Your donations will help us to: Restore native habitats Purchase native seeds and plants Educate the public on the importance of conservation The Macon County Conservation District is fortunate to have staff who are passionate about what we do here and love getting to educate and inform the public on what it is that we do, [...]
Decatur Audubon Society Funding Bus Transportation and Programs at Macon County Conservation District
The Decatur Audubon Society is covering field trip transportation costs for students to visit Rock Springs Nature Center or any other Conservation Area. Funds may also pay for in-class or virtual Zoom programs with Conservation District staff, at a cost of up to $10,000. Learn More
An Unexpected Find
We here at the Macon County Conservation District wouldn’t be able to do what we do without several vital things that all play major roles in our daily operations, including our amazing volunteer base, our stellar and knowledgeable staff, and of course, the public that we serve.
1 CommentComment on Facebook
Thanks so much for sharing!! We can’t wait to be there!
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