Highlights & Happenings

HeartLands Conservancy applauds Senator Richard Durbin (IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL). On November 30, 2021, the Senators sent a co-signed letter to the White House urging President Biden to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to incorporate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site under the National Park System and offer additional protections for the ancient mounds in St. Clair and Madison counties. In their letter, the Senators call back to Durbin’s 2014 request for the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a reconnaissance study to determine if the site meets requirements to be a unit of the National Park System. The study, which concluded in 2016, found that Cahokia Mounds met all four of the criteria – significance, suitability, feasibility, and need for NPS management.

“We write to encourage you to use your authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site as a unit of the National Park System. We support elevating, protecting, and sharing this important archeological and cultural resource that represents the people and landscapes that once made up one of America’s first cities in the Western Hemisphere.”

- Senator Richard Durbin (IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL)

This letter joins the 2021 legislation introduced by Rep. Bost (IL), Rep. Cori Bush (MO), and Senator Durbin to elevate Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and several surrounding mound sites as a unit of the National Park System. This legislation uses a partnership-park model with the State of Illinois and National Park Service and further seeks to provide access to Indigenous people for spiritual practices and expressions.

We would like to thank the Senators and Representatives for their leadership and persistence in ensuring Cahokia Mounds and the Mississippian Culture receive the national recognition this sacred landscape deserves. We thank the First Nations for support and guidance over the past decade, as well as the thousands of individuals, organizations, and communities who have supported this effort.

To stay up-to-date, please sign up for our email list at the bottom of our home page or follow The Mounds-America’s First Cities Initiative on Facebook.

Mounds Initiative Letter to Biden

Cahokia Mounds Photo Credit: Doug Kerr

Hiking is back in 2022! Join us on the first Wednesday of the month for a hike. Details can be found on our website under Get Involved > Hiking Club

April

White Oak Society members private tour of Poag Sand Prairie to celebrate Earth Day

May

“May the 4th be with you“ Night hike and star gazing at Highlands

June

Discover a Wetland! Firefly hike with SIUE Entomologist Dr. Jason Williams

hiking club

July

Water cycle bicycle tour of Chouteau Island and its natural features

August

Discover a Creek! Stream monitoring

September

Discover a River! Kayaking day trip on a river in the region

October

Fall into Hiking at William C. Drda Woods and Bohm Woods Nature Preserve

November

Buds and Bark Winter Tree ID at Willoughby Farm

December

Jingle Hike Challenge (Thanksgiving Day to New Year‘s Day)

Get Involved!

HIKING CLUB

If you are new to hiking, want to explore new locations, or just want to get moving, hiking club is perfect for you. Besides, sometimes hiking is better with a group!

UPDATE ARLINGTON

CHALLENGE

Sign up to burn!

We will be conducting a prescribed burn at Arlington Wetlands this spring. If you are interested in attending, please register so that we can provide you with updates about this burn. Arlington Wetlands needs your help. We must reach 400 volunteer hours by April. The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation will contribute $10 for every volunteer hour (up to $4,000) for stewardship needs at the site.

There are still multiple opportunities to participate.

Are you up for the Challenge!?

Join us at Arlington Wetlands on Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for native planting and invasive species removal.

This event will happen rain or shine. We hope to see you there!

www.heartlandsconservancy.org/

East St. Louis Washington Park § ¨ ¦ 64 Caseyville LittleCanteenCreek Has flooding in western St. Clair County impacted you? HLC wants to hear about it! HLC’s watershed planning team seeks input from residents of the Prairie du Pont and Judy’s Branch watersheds in St. Clair County. The watersheds stretch from Brooklyn and Fairmont City south to Columbia and Millstadt and from the west end of Belleville and Swansea west to the Mississippi River. If you live in the watershed*, please share your story by filling out the survey at https://heartlandsconservancy.org/pdp/ *If you are a resident of the former Centreville area, please fill out the Centreville Citizens for Change survey instead found at https://floodedandforgotten.com/ The watershed planning team has met with many residents and community leaders to listen to their concerns about flooding, sewage, and water quality issues and opportunities in the watershed. Meetings will continue throughout 2022, with open houses and workshops later this year. Look for project updates on our website under What We Do > Prairie du Pont Watershed Project.

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0 Smithton C r d Valentine Conservation Community Ric h lan VCC, a local community group in East St. Louis, is partnering with the Conservation Alliance after being selected as one of four recipients of the Miles F N5 2021/2022 Confluence Grant. VCC‘s founder, Lillie Douglas, created the vision for the project, which highlights her family‘s legacy of love for nature. The Valentine Park and Nature Trail: Nature, Conservation, Confluence project is supported by HeartLands Conservancy as VCC works toward allowing the community to have an active voice in protecting its residents from air pollution while maintaining an environment where wild turkeys, deer, and rabbits thrive. The Valentine Park and Nature Trail: Nature, Conservation, Confluence will present the conservation and preservation of land acquired over the last seven decades. The park will be located in an urban setting and planted with native species and a pollinator garden. As VCC enhances the landscape, residents will experience the beauty of nature’s design. The Valentine Conservation Community project will permeate VCC as a viable minority-led conservation group, expanding opportunities for VCC to apply for more funding. HLC is happy to announce we are extending our work assisting with bringing the VCC vision to reality.

Conservation@Home

Conservation happens in our backyards. Have yours certified through our Conservation@Home Program. Conservation@Home certified landscapes receive a special yard sign that shows off your achievement.

If you are interested in participating in the Conservation@Home or @Work program, we can help you get started. The initial fee of $25 Members $50 Non-Members (receive 1-year HLC membership) includes:

• One home visit to assess your property based on our certification criteria checklist • Plant lists of native plants, trees, shrubs, forbs (perennial flowers), grasses, and emergent (for shoreline stabilization) • Recommendations of how to fulfill the certification criteria • Early certification for properties that already meet our criteria

Contact Eric Wright (Eric.Wright@HeartLandsConservancy.org) or Brittany Schweiger (Brittany.schweiger@HeartLandsConservancy.org) or call (618) 566-4451 to get started.