Bobcat Rules Open for Public Comment

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has recently proposed changes to two sections of the Illinois Administrative Code that will allow for hunting and trapping of bobcats in southern and western Illinois. These rules are a result of the statute that passed last year. Bobcats were listed as a threatened species in Illinois from 1977…

A quarter century of Illinois Wilderness symbolized on the new Shawnee National Forest quarter dollar coin

Today, February 4th, the U.S. Mint is set to release the Shawnee National Forest quarter dollar coin–an event brimming with symbolism. The coin features the iconic Camel Rock, a unique sandstone formation resembling its namesake that overlooks the Garden of the Gods Wilderness. The camel standing sentry over Garden of the Gods is symbolic of…

35,000 Clean Power Plan Petitions Delivered to Governor Rauner

Thanks to all the health, faith, clean energy, environmental and business leaders who came out yesterday, nearly 35,000 petitions collected from across the state of Illinois were delivered to Governor Bruce Rauner’s offices at the State Capitol in Springfield and at the Thompson Center in Chicago. The petitions urge Governor Rauner to support the U.S.…

St. Johns Bayou – New Madrid Floodway Project Threatens People and Wildlife

The New Madrid Floodway is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River in southeast Missouri just below the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. It was authorized by the federal Flood Control Act of 1928 to divert water from the Mississippi River during major flood events in order to lower flood stages…

Two National Leaders to Discuss the Environment and Justice Connections

Heart of Illinois Sierra Club Group announces a Very Special Opportunity! An historic opportunity to witness two national organizational presidents stand side by side to discuss the connections between local environmental and justice issues is coming to central Illinois–and you are invited. The weekend of October 30-31, Sierra Club President Aaron Mair will share the stage…

Grain Belt Express Can Deliver Clean Energy and Jobs to Illinois

Illinois has a chance right now to create good jobs adding clean energy to our power supply, and we should say yes.   Springfield may be mired in gridlock, but the Illinois Commerce Commission can give the green light to a project that will put women and men to work and turn on the renewable energy…

Why Clean Energy Transmission?

A lack of transmission infrastructure remains as one of the biggest impediments to a meaningful expansion of the wind industry. Design of the electric grid exacerbates the problem, as the grid was originally built to connect large individual generation units, and deliver the energy they generated to large population centers around the country. Midwestern states…

Citizens Speak Out in Favor of More Stream Protection at Coal Mines

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) has proposed a new rule for regulation of coal mining intended to better protect streams, fish, and wildlife from the adverse impacts of surface coal mining operations and impacts to streams from underground mining.  The proposed rule would update the nearly 30-year-old rule coal mines now…

Bobcats in the Crosshairs Once Again

On May 31st HB352, a bill to allow bobcat hunting in Illinois returned to the House for a vote on concurrence. We opposed the bill as written and asked the Department  to include in the legislation provisions for 1) the development of a management and sustainability plan based on scientific studies, including a recovery plan for continued…

Protecting the Mahomet Aquifer: what is it, why does it need protection, and how can we protect it?

The Mahomet Aquifer is a massive underground water system that is the sole source of drinking for an area that includes 14 east-central Illinois counties. The aquifer provides about 58 million gallons of drinking water each day for 120 public water systems and thousands of rural wells that serve nearly 750,000 people in Illinois. Recognizing…