Macon County Conservation District celebrates 60 years by planting 1,000 trees

(WAND) — The Macon County Conservation District was joined by over 100 volunteers to plant 1,000 trees Saturday.

The trees are part of an ongoing project to convert 220 acres, that were previously agricultural fields, back to native habitats. Along with the current pothole prairie restoration project, the 1,000 trees will be planted to create a 34-acre oak savanna.

Jerry Culp, Executive Director of the Macon County Conservation District, explained that the project will help create a transition between the prairies and the wetlands.

"So what we're hoping to do out here is create those transition zones. So we have and produce that habitat and hopefully the native plants and animals will start coming back and populating here," he said.

The district planted the trees at the newly acquired property connecting Fort Daniel Conservation Area and Woodbine Farm.

Due to the suppression of fire, and the loss of large grazing animals such as bison and elk, this once common habitat to the Illinois and midwest landscape has become one of the threatened plant communities, with less than 0.01% of the original savanna communities remaining.

The Macon County Conservation District and the Macon County Conservation Foundation celebrated their milestone anniversaries of 60 and 45 years, as well as Earth Day and Arbor Day at the event

Additional information is available online.