Grand Prairie Friends Featured in Illinois Environmental Council Legislator Tour Blog

Originally published by IEC

Empowering environmental champions in Illinois’ General Assembly requires building strong relationships with our legislators. These educational tours are a critical piece of that work. We share great experiences with our legislators and partners. We even took a record number of tours by canoe this year! From forest preserves in Cook County to farms in southern Illinois, Illinoisans are demonstrating environmental stewardship is alive and well. Read on to see the places we went and the folks who made these tours memorable.

Check out IEC Chief Programs Officer Lindsay Keeney’s blog on why we started these tours and the value they bring to our movement.

Loda Prairie

June 9

IEC joined Sen. Balkema, Rep. Bunting, community members, Grand Prairie Friends staff, and board for a tour at Loda Prairie. We were able to see one of the few remaining native prairies in Illinois. This tour highlighted a partnership between Grand Prairie Friends and Loda Township. We learned how powerful strong relationships with neighboring landowners can be for mitigating risks and land use conflicts. The township and the land trust partnered on a buffer zone around the project to protect the prairie. On this tour, we also discussed the impact of federal funding loss and state budget cuts. We were thankful to have such supportive decision makers on the land to help brainstorm solutions.