Elementary school students collect prairie grass seeds to assist a local restoration in Barrington, IL. 
photo: Diane Bodkin

Community-Based Conservation

Agency budgets wax and wane. Organizations shift their focus. An engaged constituency means durable support. Empowering people to care for nearby nature is the ultimate sustainability plan.

Quality that endures: Our experience suggests that locally-owned conservation is more likely to last. In the shade of an ancient oak, an expert practitioner with Citizens for Conservation shares some finer points of savanna restoration with other volunteer restorationists.