Red Hill Birding will lead several field trips and Vic Berardi will share a mini-master class on Raptor identification as part of the 26th annual Illinois Beach Hawk Watch. Great food, great birding, trivia contest with prizes, silent auction, and an opportunity to network with great birders, join us as we celebrate a joyful weekend of bird watching and camaraderie. This event is open to members and non-members. September 26-27, 2025, Illinois Beach State Park, Zion, Illinois.  More information and registration here.

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill – Across Illinois, trees are dying, gardens are being threatened, and children are literally running from drifting herbicides, according to a new report from Prairie Rivers Network.

Hidden in Plain Sight summarizes six years of study about herbicide drift – the movement of toxic chemicals through the air to a non-target site – across rural and urban Illinois. The report shows that herbicide drift, largely from the agricultural industry, is damaging wild and cultivated plants and trees throughout Illinois, threatening human health and impairing our ability to adapt to a changing climate.

“Nowhere is safe from chemical trespass,” said Kim Erndt-Pitcher, Director of Ecological Health at Prairie Rivers Network. “Herbicide drift demonstrates a disregard for property rights. Again and again, trees and plants on public land, private land, in parks, schoolyards, homes, gardens and forests are being injured by drifting herbicides. Our current system for preventing harm from pesticide drift is not working. Illinois needs to do better.”

Prairie Rivers Network, through our Tree and Plant Health Monitoring Program launched in 2018, has been studying symptoms of herbicide drift and damage to non-target broadleaf plants and trees across rural and urban Illinois. Testing was conducted over a six-year period at 280 sites in more than 40 counties throughout the state. We found widespread symptoms of injuries and an alarming decline in health among our trees.

“Conventional wisdom tends to dismiss pesticide drift as controlled, sporadic, or inconsequential,” said Martin Kemper, a co-author of the report and retired Illinois Department of Natural Resources scientist. “This scientific report by Prairie Rivers Network, conducted in the places it matters — gardens, backyards, school yards, parks, and natural areas — shows that such drift is pervasive and insidious.”

Stories about the impact of herbicide drift have also been shared by those we talked to, including managers of public lands, private landowners, and outdoor enthusiasts. Their voices are also included in the report.

“Herbicide drift has taken the joy from gardening,” says Patsy Hirsch, of Kane County. “We have made the painful decision to forego harvest of our garden vegetables due to repeated herbicide exposures from the many lawn applications that take place in our neighborhood. The damage is everywhere we go. You cannot unsee it, once you know how to identify herbicide damage symptoms.”

The Bluestem Hall Nature School is a nature-based preschool (also offering K-1 classes) in rural Urbana. It shares space with the adjacent Barnhart Prairie Nature Preserve, which is a vital part of the school’s outdoor experiential learning program. However, the school and preserve are surrounded by farm fields, and the students are frequently exposed to pesticides while outside.

“Our nature-based program is designed to cultivate magical, respectful, and wondrous connections between children and their natural environment. How can we do this if we are literally running indoors to escape the chemical drift in our community? It raises the question — who has the rights to air quality?

And the answer is clearly not in favor of our smallest citizens,” said Abbie Frank, executive director of Bluestem Hall Nature School.

The Illinois constitution, passed in 1970, guarantees that each person has the right to a healthful environment. However, Hidden in Plain Sight shows that no matter where you go in Illinois, you can’t escape herbicide drift. Tissue samples showed detectable levels of herbicides in leaves of 95% of trees we tested. Nearly all sites had symptoms of drift every year.

“If people’s homes, schoolyards, public parks and gardens aren’t safe from herbicide pollution, how is that a ‘healthful environment?’” Erndt-Pitcher said. “Illinois has lost millions of acres of habitat to agriculture. What is left of our native prairies and the species that rely on them are barely hanging on. We need to step up and protect what we have left, before it’s too late.”

Trees play a vital role in climate change, sequestering carbon, improving air quality, and cooling urban areas. The drift is triggering a chain of adverse effects that are destroying habitats and food sources for native wildlife.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that injuries are widely under-reported. Much attention has been paid to the damage caused by the herbicide dicamba, which has damaged millions of acres of cropland and natural areas across the Midwest and South; however, the report finds that there has been consistent drift from many herbicides, including 2,4-D, glufosinate, atrazine and others. In fact, 2,4-D was found even more often than dicamba.

The report calls for an updated regulatory structure in Illinois, one that looks into herbicide drift and provides growers with the necessary support to diversify farming systems. The report also calls on the Illinois General Assembly to adequate fund enforcement of the Illinois Pesticide Act.

“It’s time that we educate the public on how widespread herbicide drift is in Illinois, and act to stop it,” Erndt-Pitcher said.

At Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), we protect water, heal land, and inspire change. Using the creative power of science, law, and collective action, we protect and restore our rivers, return healthy soils and diverse wildlife to our lands, and transform how we care for the earth and for each other. PRN is the Illinois affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

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The public is invited to help Audubon members and friends document as many birds, flowering plants and insects as we are able to, at War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, located 5 miles north of Golconda at 228 Bushwack Rd, Golconda IL. The Blitz will run from predawn (4:30 AM) to 3 PM. No reservations needed, come and go as you like. Introduction and orientations will be held at 8AM, 10AM and noon. Maps of the sanctuary will be available.

What is a BioBlitz you may ask? A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. We’ll be utilizing the smart phone apps iNaturalist and Merlin, as well as our own ears and eyes and our cell phones, to document what we see & hear during the Blitz. No special knowledge or training is required. Experts will be available to help participants. Come explore War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and we’ll learn together what lives in our special part of Southern Illinois.

Plenty of snacks and drinks will be provided. This is a free and family friendly event and everyone is welcome. Please wear proper footwear and dress for the weather, including sunscreen and a hat if needed. Pets should be left at home, as they could frighten the wildlife. For more information, please contact Karen at (618) 534-7870 or email shawneechapterias@gmail.com.

Directions to the Sanctuary from Golconda: Take Rt 146 north of Golconda 3.5 miles, turn left onto Bushwack Rd (look for brown binocular sign) Follow Bushwack Rd about 2.2 miles to Sanctuary entrance on the right – watch for signs. Bushwack Rd turns into a gravel road & crosses a low water ford – don’t give up – just keep going and you’ll get there! There will be signs along Rt 146 from both directions, as well as along Bushwack Rd.

The War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary BioBlitz coincides with the Illinois Audubon Chapter Big Day and everyone is encouraged to register here by 5 PM May 12 . The Chapter Big Day is a competition between participating Chapters and Affiliates of the Illinois Audubon Society for the most species of birds observed anywhere in Illinois between midnight and 11:59 PM on May 14, 2022. All participants are required to pre-register for this free event, which is open to members and non-members alike.

The BioBlitz is sponsored by Shawnee Chapter Illinois Audubon Society, Illinois Audubon Society and funded in part by a generous grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.

Shawnee Chapter serves as Stewards of War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and holds monthly stewardship days at the sanctuary. Illinois Audubon Society, now in its 125^th year, was the first conservation organization in the state.

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“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” Aldo Leopold

Listen in on the conversation to learn why Kruse chose to walk to honor Aldo Leopold and to all of those he worked with during his career in natural resource conservation in Illinois. His pilgrimage is in the sense of “a journey to a place that is considered special, where you go to show your respect.”

The Walk to the Shack is also a fundraiser for the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Illinois Audubon Society’s Marilyn Campbell Stewardship and Land Acquisition Fund. Please include a notation that you are contributing in support of the Walk to the Shack.

A follow-up evening Zoom session with Glen Kruse will be held a few days after his return. Stay tuned for details and plan to listen in for details on his trek to Baraboo and reflections on his career following Leopold’s mission to “preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community.”

WATCH HERE

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Because of members like you our Society has thrived for over a century and has made a lasting impact on conservation within the state – and this year has been no different.  Despite the significant effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our world, the Society has, in the last 12 months, made acquisitions that have enlarged three of our sanctuaries – War Bluff Valley Sanctuary, Prairie Ridge State Natural Area and Adams Wildlife Sanctuary.

At our sanctuaries our volunteers and staff have continued (with appropriate social-distancing) our stewardship work, restoring our lands and combating invasive species. Our Board has learned how to meet and conduct business virtually, and we have continued to produce what I consider to be the best conservation publication in the state, our flagship magazine – Illinois Audubon.  We have expanded our social media presence with our new Migration Dashboard that tracked the progress of bird migration in the state this year and also launched our new online Nature Quizzes. Despite our ‘lock down’ we have accomplished a lot.

So, on behalf of our staff, Jo, Kaleb, Jodie, Kathy and me, I’m asking that you continue to support our conservation work by making a tax-deductible donation to the Illinois Audubon Society today. With your ongoing support we can continue to be a strong conservation leader in the state of Illinois, providing a variety of ways and places for people to see, hear, feel, smell, appreciate, and explore the wonderful natural world around us.

Donate to the 2020 Annual Appeal

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The COVID-19 pandemic will unfortunately influence this year’s count. Many participants have their favorite birding areas and this year those sites may be closed, social distancing may preclude visiting the location or it may be too far away to safely visit. But that shouldn’t stop participation when a Spring Bird Count can still be conducted from a backyard or nearby neighborhood park.

To accommodate this option, a new “line” item has been added to the data form to record miles walked and hours spent birding from a “House”or “Nearby.” The data will provide for an interesting comparison in future years.

To join, first contact your SBC County Coordinator – click here for a list to help you get started.

Remember: staying safe, and keeping others safe, should be a top priority while counting birds this year.  If you do not feel comfortable, please do not feel compelled to participate in the Spring Bird Count.

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The mission of the Illinois Audubon Society is to promote the perpetuation and appreciation of the native flora and fauna of Illinois and the habitats that support them. Central to that mission are our efforts to bring people together to see, steward, and learn about the birds, plants and animals that surround us. Experiencing nature with other like-minded individuals is fun, energizing, and has even been shown to provide health benefits.

However, with the world fully embroiled in a collective effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, we must act now to support community containment efforts aimed at slowing the spread of this virus.

As a result, the Illinois Audubon Society (IAS) is taking measures to protect our members, our staff and our communities from COVID-19.  We are enacting a broad series of precautionary measures to help limit potential spread of the virus.

The Society has cancelled all IAS Field Trips scheduled between now and 1 May. This includes:

• Prairie Chicken Viewing from the Blinds, March 28 & 29, April 4 & 5
• Walking in the Footsteps of Ridgway, March 25
• Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, March 25

All registrants for these field trips have been notified and will receive a full refund of registration costs.

As you are all aware, this is a rapidly changing issue and decisions regarding the fate of field trips scheduled after May 1, 2020, will be made at a future date. Anyone affected by those decisions will be individually notified as soon as a decision is made and, in the event of a cancellation, full refunds will be issued.

I regret having to take such strong measures, but the health and well-being of our members and staff are of upmost importance during this time.

The silver lining in all of this might be that spring will proceed regardless and bird migration, spring wildflower shows and all the rest of the wonderful things that spring brings will all still take place – and can still be enjoyed while also implementing socially-appropriate containment measures.

So please do as federal, state and local agencies are requesting and do your part in helping to contain the spread of this virus, but also find the time to enjoy spring in an appropriate manner.

Sincerely,
Jim Herkert, Executive Director
Illinois Audubon Society

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Take a hike, view birds, get an in-depth look at a regional stronghold for Henslow’s sparrows and help remove invasive shrubs on this grassland. All are invited to attend on October 26, 2019 at Plum Creek Forest Preserve in Cook County.  The morning bird walk will be held from 7:30 – 9a.m. followed by brush cutting from 9a.m. to Noon.

Plum Creek’s Important Bird Area grassland bird habitat extends much deeper than most birders visit to find their target birds, such as its signature species, the Henslow’s sparrow, a federal species of concern. Invasive shrubs are advancing in parts of the grassland, which progressively reduces the acreage available for nesting birds.

“The Henslow’s sparrow is making a comeback in Illinois, especially in Cook County, after steep national declines due to habitat loss and fragmentation,” stated Jim Herkert, Illinois Audubon Society Executive Director. Forest Preserve of Cook County ecologists counted an impressive 36 singing Henslow’s sparrows in a bird census of the grassland last June.

“This workday is a prime opportunity to discover the spirit of stewardship and the joy of birding,” added Mary Bernat of Bird Conservation Network. Tools and refreshments will be provided for volunteers. Forest Preserve of Cook County work crew will also be on hand to help with some of the heavy work. All ages welcome, no experience necessary.

For questions or to RSVP, contact Click Here To Email Daniel Suarez. Large groups must RSVP.

Plum Creek Forest Preserve is located at Burnham Ave and 223rd Street, Sauk Village Illinois. Meet at the main parking lot and shuttles will transport volunteers to the grassland.

Download and share the flyer here.

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 “This is probably our biggest organized event,” said Audubon Society executive director Jim Herkert.”

Read NewsTrib Article

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