Your Love for the Land Can Live On

Think about one of your favorite places outdoors. 

Maybe it’s a trail you’ve walked for years, a creek where your kids caught their first frog, a family farm that’s been passed down through generations, or a patch of prairie that’s especially beautiful when the wildflowers are in bloom. 

Places like these don’t stay this way by chance. They’re here because people cared enough to look after them. 

August is National Make-A-Will Month, which makes it a good time to think about the legacy you’d like to leave. For most of us, creating a will starts with taking care of the people we love. But it’s also a chance to support the places and causes that have been important throughout our lives.

Many of our supporters tell us they want future generations to enjoy southern Illinois the way they have. They want children to have places to explore, monarchs to find native wildflowers, and bald eagles to keep returning to our rivers each winter. They want family farms to remain as part of southern Illinois’ distinctive landscape and natural areas to remain part of our communities.

One simple way to help make that happen is by including HeartLands Conservancy in your will or estate plans. A legacy gift of any size can help protect the forests, prairies, wetlands, streams, and farmland that make this region such a special place to call home.

 And right now, your future gift can also help conservation work happening today.

Thanks to the generosity of a local couple, every new planned gift commitment, or even notifying us that you’ve already included HeartLands Conservancy in your estate plans, will unlock a $1,000 gift in your honor. That means your decision to plan for the future also helps protect land and water right now.

If you’ve already included HeartLands Conservancy in your plans, thank you. We’re grateful for your trust, and we’re committed to caring for the places you’ll help protect. You can let us know your intent by filling out the simple form on our website.

If you’d like to learn more or let us know you’ve already made a legacy gift, we’d love to hear from you.