www.HeartLandsConservancy.org
What’s Inside Building Greener Communities Our Stormwater..........................1 Land Conservation Berger Easement........................2 People & Nature Upcoming Events.......................2 Field to Fork................................3
Directors Robert J. Hilgenbrink, Chair IL Green Economy Network Robert Nelson, Secretary Nelson & Nelson Frank O. Miles, Vice Chair Madison County Community Development Ronda Latina, Treasurer Environmental Operations, Inc. Bill Armstrong Land Owner William Boardman Firehouse Contracting, LLC Brenda Chandler Buy A Farm Ronald J. Foster, Jr. Schoen, Walton, Telken & Foster Dennis (Denny) Kirkham Land Owner Robert Knobeloch St. Louis Prompters LLC Charles Meier Illinois State Representative Bill Reichert EWR Associates Cliff Schuette Schuette Seed Company Justin Siegel Deli Star Corporation Dawnesha Tomlin American Water
A Quarterly Publication of HeartLands Conservancy
Summer 2015
Building Greener Communities Now More than Ever, Stormwater is Everyone’s Responsibility This past June was the wettest June on record in Illinois with 9.53 inches of rain. What’s more, 7 out of Illinois’ 10 wettest Junes have occurred since 1993. In addition to being the wettest June on record, it was the second wettest month on record in the state. As you may have noticed, the frequency and intensity of storms in our area is increasing while the amount of pervious surface is decreasing. This means more flash flooding in our communities and on our farm fields. Flash flooding has a major impact on water quality and the environment. Chemicals and other Mascoutah, June 2015 hazardous substances end up in the water and contaminate our water bodies. Floods also affect our finances. In 2011, the cost of all floods in the USA was more than $8.6 billion. Whereas levees will protect river-adjacent communities to a certain extent, we are now seeing increased flooding of interior creeks and in neighborhoods where flooding was not an issue before. In Southwestern Illinois, we share a common watershed. That is—we impact people downstream and are impacted by people upstream. It is everyone’s collective responsibility to make sure our shared watershed is healthy and resilient. We need to invest in infrastructure that will help water naturally infiltrate into the ground instead of running off onto our neighbors property—we need to invest in ‘green’ infrastructure. That is why HeartLands Conservancy is working so hard to protect our existing green infrastructure—our wetlands, creeks, and forests. These areas are critical for improving water quality and naturally managing stormwater in our region. That is also why our Field to Fork event on July 18 is so important to us. All proceeds from Field to Fork benefit land conservation in Southwestern Illinois so that we can work regionally to ensure Southwestern Illinois remains a great place for present and future generations.
Dave Eustis President/CEO
Commonfields Summer 2015
www.HeartLandsConservancy.org
Land Conservation Berger Conservation Easement Protected Forever
HeartLands Conservancy is pleased to welcome our latest conservation easement donor, Melva Berger, into the family. The easement, 39 acres, is located in St. Clair County, between Belleville and Freeburg. The site is in close proximity to the Knobeloch Woods Nature Preserve, a property originally protected by The Nature Conservancy and now owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Melva and her husband Von (deceased) purchased the property 60 years ago and have lived there ever since. Over the years they’ve enjoyed picking berries and mushrooms, as well as watching the many forms of wildlife that call the place home. Being in close proximity to Belleville, there are a number of subdivisions that have appeared over the years, including a large lot subdivision across the street. Melva wanted to ensure that the site that she and Von called home for so many years was never developed into a subdivision and that there would always be a place for the wildlife to survive. With the acceptance of this easement HeartLands has achieved another milestone. HeartLands Conservancy has protected in excess of 2,000 acres in southwestern Illinois through conservation (or agricultural) easements alone. Thank you to all of our easement donors for helping us in achieving this milestone.
Engaging People with Nature Upcoming Events July 11th | 9:00 - 11:00 am Stream Monitoring Event Weather and water levels permitting, join us to collect bugs and sample water quality in East Fork Silver Creek! HeartLands Conservancy and trained volunteers will help you collect important water quality data for the Illinois RiverWatch program. Wear long pants and shoes you can get wet. 2
September 12th Paddle Trek - Up Piasa Creek! A canoe trip on Piasa Creek. Starting upstream where the creek winds through the peaceful woods and rolling farmland on the west side of Godfrey, let the canoe take you downstream to Piasa Harbor, where the creek joins the mighty Mississippi. Canoes and life jackets will be available.
As always, our treks are FREE. Contact Janet to register: janet.buchanan@heartlandsconservancy.org
Volunteers Wanted
Is there a park or natural area in your community that needs some attention? Want to get some volunteers together? We can help! Areas NavNET: Natural Volunteer Network Let us help you coordinate regional efforts, make a plan, recruit volunteers, provide tools, and more. Visit HeartLandsConservancy.org for more info or contact Sarah Vogt sarah.vogt@heartlandsconservancy.org or (618) 566-4451 ext. 23.
Commonfields Summer2015
www.HeartLandsConservancy.org
Land Conservation Feasting to Raise Funds for Land Conservation The natural areas and cultural resources are assets to our region and make Southwestern Illinois unique and one of the greatest places to live, work and play. While we’re blessed with these resources, their long-term protection is not guaranteed. HeartLands Conservancy has been hard at work to protect these resources for over 25 years, and with shrinking state and federal budgets it’s more important than ever to continue our conservation work. For the last five years we have been holding our Field to Fork dinner. It is our largest fund raising event of the year. All of the money raised that evening goes directly to land conservation efforts. To date we have successfully protected in excess of 6,500 acres, through easements or purchases, much of which is now open to the public. Besides scenic natural areas such as Mill Creek, our land conservation activities also protect prime farmland. Land conservation is a gift that keeps on giving to present and future generations. Your attendance at our sixth annual Field to Fork, July 18, would be greatly appreciated and assists us in undertaking this work. This year’s Field to Fork event will feature five local chefs from restaurants including Bellecourt Manor, Cleveland-Heath, J. Fires’ Market Bistro, Robust Wine Bar and The Libertine, all making dishes from food sourced from local farms. There will be live music by the Trophy Mules. Suzanne Boyle, Food Editor from the Belleville NewsDemocrat, will serve as emcee. We’ve gathered exquisite donations from area business for live and silent auctions. There is a raffle to win Cardinals tickets + hotel stay, a pearl and silver necklace, or a beach cruiser bicycle. You don’t have to be present to win, so you may purchase tickets even if you can’t join us for the event. More information on the next page. To purchase tickets, or for questions, contact Kim at 566-4451 ext 10 or kim.obryan@heartlands.conservancy.org. You can also purchase tickets on our website.
MILL CREEK
ARLINGTON WETLANDS
Field to Fork Sponsors
Gold Fork
Silver Spoon
Bronze Knife
Clinton County Farm Bureau
DoubleTree by Hilton
Dynegy Leonard C. Goodman
Gori, Julian & Associates, P.C.
Environmental Operations, Inc. Express Design Group, Inc. Farm Credit Illinois
Goulding’s Jewelers
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
Grimm & Gorly
Jody White State Farm
Schoen Walton Telken & Foster
Johnson & Johnson Law Offices
Southwestern Illinois College SunCoke Energy
Lindenwood University Scott Credit Union St. Clair County Farm Bureau Walker & Williams P.C.
3
A Fundraiser to Support Land Conservation Efforts in Southwestern Illinois
Saturday, July 18, 2015
the 6th annual
Bellecourt Manor 255 East A Street | Belleville, IL Doors & Cocktails open at 5:00 pm First Course at 6:15 pm A night featuring locally produced foods cooked by five area chefs Member Tickets: $70 per person or $500 for a Table of 8 Non-Member Tickets: $90 per person or $650 for a Table of 8
www.HeartLandsConservancy.org/Field-to-Fork Live music by The Trophy Mules
Silent & Live Auctions
Raffles, Prizes, Good Food & Good Fun
Tickets now available online @ HeartLandsConservancy.org/field-to-fork
6th Annual Field to Fork - July 18, 2015
www.HeartLandsConservancy.org 406 East Main Street Mascoutah, IL 62258 (618) 566-4451
Address service requested:
PRSRT STD NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ZIP CODE 62258 PERMIT NO 7