When farms are conserved, they provide essential green spaces that benefit both the community and wildlife. Expansive farms can serve as travel corridors for animals like the badger and the fox, while field edges and woodlands provide habitat for migratory birds, such as vireos and warblers. Box turtles, too, find shelter in the woods and creeks, creating a connected ecosystem.
The Weilbacher Farm in Waterloo, Illinois, preserves working agricultural lands along with the forest and creeks that provide critical habitat for wildlife on the property.
In 2014, the Weilbacher Family decided to put their family farm – which has been in the family for generations – in a conservation agreement (called a conservation easement). The Weilbachers continue to farm the land and have committed to preserving the woods and creeks as well. Thanks to the agreement, and foresight of the Weilbacher Family, as the land changes hands in the future, it will remain a farm and wildlife habitat.
As development continues to expand in Monroe County, this “ordinary” farm may one day be “extraordinary.”
