Leveraging our Lands for Visitor Engagement

Across the country, TNC owns natural lands that provide important benefits to people and nature. From the small-but-mighty marshes and fens of the Midwest, to the vast forests of the north, to the deserts of the west, each preserve helps clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink and give rare species the habitat they need to survive. These preserves also perform another invaluable service: an opportunity for people to connect with and learn about the natural world—a key step in ensuring that nature is protected for generations to come.

In 2022, TNC set out to better understand just how many visitors explore our preserves with the “Leveraging Our Lands” survey. Signature preserves from across the country were ranked by attendance, and two Illinois preserves broke the top 20. Emiquon hosts around 65,000 visitors each year and Nachusa Grasslands isn’t far behind with 35,000 annual visitors.

At Emiquon, we are going further to learn how people feel about the preserve and if a visit can influence their views of conservation. In 2022, we began the first phase of a research project to evaluate visitation patterns and some basic demographic data. This effort will expand in 2023 to include visitor interviews and surveys. Ultimately, the information we gather in this four-year study will help us better understand what motivates preserve visitation, identify any obstacles to entry and inform plans and policies to refine how we manage Emiquon. Furthermore, we will produce a toolkit to help other preserve managers follow a similar path of inquiry.