When you imagine a prairie, you might picture wide-open grasslands stretching for miles, dotted with colorful wildflowers. But prairies come in many forms, including tallgrass, sand, hill, and shrub. Each type supports a unique mix of plants and wildlife. The deep-rooted grasses of tallgrass prairies, for example, store carbon and prevent erosion. Dry, rocky hill prairies, like the Trout Hollow Hill Prairie, provide homes for rare species found nowhere else.
Illinois was once covered by more than 22 million acres of prairie, giving the state its nickname, The Prairie State. Today, less than one percent of the original prairie remains. Efforts to identify and protect these lands began in the 1970s. Many important prairies were missed and remain vulnerable.
HeartLands Conservancy works with partners to find and protect remaining pockets of prairie. We currently steward tallgrass, sand, and hill prairies across Southern Illinois. Stewardship includes managing invasive species, restoring native prairie plants, and using controlled fire to maintain the open habitat that prairie species rely on.
Prairies cannot exist alone, however. Wildlife needs prairies that are connected to forests, fields, and rivers to move freely across the landscape. Protecting both large prairies and smaller anchor parcels allows native plants to establish, pollinators to thrive, and animals to maintain genetic diversity.
Each protected prairie strengthens the ecosystem. It supports clean water, reduces flooding, stores carbon, and provides habitat for countless species.
By working with partners, volunteers, and local communities, HeartLands Conservancy is helping to ensure that prairies and the forests and fields around them remain part of Southern Illinois for generations.
In a region where most prairies have vanished, each restored or protected prairie represents the return of an essential piece of Illinois’ natural heritage.
Illinois Chorus Frogs and Abby the Ornate Box Turtle are residents at Poag Sand Prairie and Knoll Family Wildlife Sanctuary.
Chorus Frog photo courtesy of Bill Duncan
The Trout Hollow Hill Prairie in Monroe County, Illinois, is surrounded by oak-hickory forests and farmland.