DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) – The Macon County Conservation District receives $2,917,380.00 from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to add 236 acres to Fort Daniel Conservation Area.
The grant will allow the Conservation District to adjoin an additional 236 acres to the existing 370-acre Fort Daniel Conservation Area.
The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation has awarded over 5,000 grants totaling $258 million to Illinois nonprofit organizations, schools, municipalities, and local and state governments.
The Conservation District plans to use the additional property to restore native wildlife habitat over the next three years, including upland and pothole prairie, seasonal wetlands, and oak savanna.
Animals to benefit include all of our native wildlife, including bees, butterflies, waterfowl, amphibians and common mammals.
The addition will also provide space for public recreation, including trails for hiking, and bird and wildlife watching.
“The District is excited about this acquisition and thankful to the Clean Energy Community Foundation for making this acquisition possible. The property will give the District the opportunity to provide much needed habitat, including pothole prairies and seasonal wetlands, which are often overlooked and underappreciated but provide a very high quality and diverse habitat. These areas, once restored, will provide important natural resources not only for plants and animals, but also for people, as well as commercially, ecologically and economically. They serve as natural sponges that hold excess water which helps reduce the severity and risk of flooding. They help recharge ground water and aquifers while filtering out sediment and chemicals to clean our water supplies,” said Jerry Culp, Macon County Conservation District Executive Director.
Upon completion of the restoration process, which will take three years, all trails on the 236-acre addition will be fully open to the public.
Fort Daniel Conservation Area is one of several Macon County Conservation District sites open to the public for free, all year round, for educational programs, family events, and outdoor recreation.
For more information about Fort Daniel Conservation Area or the Macon County Conservation District, visit MaconCountyConservation.org.
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