Macon County Conservation District & Foundation Celebrate Milestone Anniversaries with 1,000 Tree Planting Community Event

     The Macon County Conservation District and the Macon County Conservation Foundation are celebrating their milestone anniversaries of 60 and 45 years, as well as Earth Day and Arbor Day, with the event Rooted in Community 1,000 Tree Planting Event on Saturday, April 18 starting at 9am. The event will take place at the newly acquired property connecting Fort Daniel Conservation Area and Woodbine Farm located at 7206 Sefton Road, Dalton City, IL 61925. Trees can be purchased for $20 each, and there are opportunities to fundraise or become a sponsor.
     The 1,000 trees are a part of an ongoing project to convert 220 acres that were previously agricultural fields, back to native habitats. Along with the current pothole prairie restoration project, the 1,000 trees will be planted to create a 34-acre oak savanna. Due to the suppression of fire, and the loss of large grazing animals such as bison and elk, this once common habitat to the Illinois and Midwest landscape has become one of the threatened plant communities, with less than 0.01% of the original savanna communities remaining.
     There are many ways the community and neighboring communities can participate and support this event. They can buy one or multiple trees, buy trees and come out on the day of the event to plant them, or volunteer to come out and help staff plant the trees with no purchase or donation to the fundraiser necessary. Individuals, families, businesses, school groups and teams, churches, organizations, and more are invited to join this event to make a lasting impact on one of their natural spaces in the community they call home.