The Illinois Working Lands, Water and Wildlife Partnership is a new alliance formed to accelerate the pace of working-land conservation in Illinois. By bringing together experts and leveraging funds, the group seeks to achieve regional and science-based planning goals embedded in the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan and Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS). This partnership will establish a new model of conservation in Illinois by connecting statewide efforts to address water quality to the conservation community’s broader work in addressing vulnerable aquatic species while simultaneously building alliances between the conservation and agricultural communities.

Illinois is one of highest density farmland states with some of most productive soils in the world. Yet, across the state, expanding metropolitan growth and low density development is consuming and threatening to convert that farmland. Illinois also has a dramatic need for improved habitat conditions. Illinois’ vulnerable wildlife species need better and more connected habitat across the board, but there are only limited, stretched resources to support solutions. At the same time, Illinois’ agricultural land contributes a disproportionately high amount of nutrient runoff to the Mississippi River and Gulf Hypoxia. Public and private partners across Illinois launched the Illinois Working Lands, Water and Wildlife Partnership to address these problems.

Our Role

The Conservation Fund launched the partnership in direct response to the varied farmland, habitat and water quality needs in Illinois. Leading the effort, TCF works with project and funding partners — including Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Kinship Foundation and the Searle Funds at Chicago Community Trust — to prioritize and implement key projects.

With an investment of $8.1 million from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, the project will use permanent agricultural land easements to build protected habitat corridors along targeted stream segments in Illinois. The project will also support diversified farm operations transitioning to organic, agroforestry and other perennial systems, and use of continuous living cover such as cover crops.

Why This Project Matters

The partnership creates a new model by pairing resources targeting habitat and water quality with partner capacity and expertise. The partnership will ultimately accelerate the use of conservation easements to slow farmland conversion, increase acreage for vulnerable wildlife, accomplish measurable improvements in soil health and water quality, and support farm economic resiliency.