DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – Joey Anthony spends his days keeping the lights on across Illinois, but when the workday ends, he trades in engineering plans for conservation projects aimed at protecting the environment.
Anthony, who has worked at Ameren Illinois for 13 years, is also a certified Master Naturalist through the University of Illinois Extension. He told WAND News his love of the outdoors began early, but grew stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Growing up in Bourbonnais on the Kankakee River, I learned to love being outdoors,” Anthony said. “During COVID, we started hiking a lot and spending more time outside, and I started wanting to know what things were—what that bird was, what kind of tree is that, what’s that prairie grass."
Anthony completed the University of Illinois Extension's Master Naturalist program in 2021. As part of his volunteer work, he partners with the Upper Sangamon River Conservancy, where he helps lead efforts to improve habitats for native species.
The group has re-purposed old utility poles into nesting boxes for bluebirds and wood ducks—two species whose populations have declined due to habitat loss.
“The purpose of the nest boxes is to give them an extra chance to maybe find a nest and hatchlings to increase the populations and biodiversity,” Anthony explained.
Ameren has helped support Anthony's mission with community grants and "dollar for doer" campaign.
Anthony said his engineering background often overlaps with conservation. In one case, when crews were set to remove a tree with a beehive inside, he worked with local beekeepers to relocate the hive instead of destroying it.
His projects with the conservancy go beyond nest boxes. Anthony also participates in river cleanup efforts, invasive species removal, and citizen science surveys. He said one highlight in 2023 was when he helped identify a slippery shell mussel in the Sangamon River—a species that hadn’t been recorded there since 1991 and is listed in Illinois as a “Species in Greatest Conservation Need”.
For Anthony, the work is also about sparking curiosity and encouraging others to take part in conservation.
“My advice would be to just be curious and to ask questions and start small, but dream big—and you can make it happen,” he said.
To learn more, click here.
Top Stories:
Altamont man arrested for illegal videotaping in Golden Corral restroom
Judge suspends Trump administration's plan to eliminate hundreds of Voice of America jobs
Decatur man enters plea deal after 2 dead dogs found at his home
Nearly half of Macon Co. households struggling with rising costs, food drive steps in to help
Copyright 2025. WAND TV. All rights reserved.
