Riverfront Catalpa: A Forest City Legacy
NLI’s Legacy Tree Program announces the 2026 September Tree of the Month is a Southern Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) located at Illinois Street Park, just north of the Rockford city limits in Loves Park and is easily observed along the community’s beloved Riverfront walk maintained by the Rockford Park District.
Hoping to Inspire Others for Wildlife
Sometimes providing a home for wildlife also provides for an opportunity to educate people. Karen hopes that by displaying her new Conservation@Home sign, along with her Monarch Waystation sign will help her neighbors with the sterile, well-manicured lawns to understand what she is hoping to accomplish. Maybe they will be inspired as well.
Habitat Types of NLI Preserves
Why is protecting a diversity of habitat important? A habitat is an environment that meets all of an organism’s needs to survive. Different species of plants and animals require unique conditions. By protecting a variety of habitat types, NLI is also protecting the wildlife that lives within them.
Eastern Cottonwood Symbolic of Community History
NLI’s Legacy Tree Program announces the 2026 August Tree of the Month is an Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) located on the grounds of Nature At The Confluence, 306 Dickop St, South Beloit. It is 77 feet tall, has an average crown spread of 87.5 feet, and a circumference of 179.4 inches (14.95 feet!).
Incentives to Preserve Prime Farmland in Boone County
The Natural Land Institute is working with landowners to preserve prime farmland in Boone County with agricultural conservation easements, which are permanent legal agreements that landowners place on their property to keep it farmland forever.
Common Conservation Misconceptions
Many aspects of conservation can be confusing, especially with an abundance of misinformation. Scientific knowledge can also change rapidly with new discoveries and studies, and it can be challenging to keep up.
Slow and Steady Process Delivers Wildlife Habitat
Having lived in their home for 28 years, and working on naturalizing their yard for the past 25, Dianne and Dennis Stenerson had quite a lot to show off. Nestled in a northeast Rockford neighborhood, the 1.24 acres lot had a number of mature sugar maples, white pines and red oaks.
How to Get Involved
Although the complexity and diversity of topics within the field of conservation may feel daunting, conservation is for everyone. Anyone is capable of learning about the natural world and getting involved in conservation efforts. Whether you are interested in plants, wildlife, specific habitats, or unsure of where to start, there are many resources available to help you get started.
Connect with Nature
I first heard the phrase “attention economy” in my second semester of environmental ethics. I think this concept is becoming increasingly more relevant, as the things we dedicate our attention to have the potential to shape our behaviors and the topics we care about. Our level of connection with nature has been found to be a negative predictor of internet addiction. In other words, turning our attention to nature can free us from the attention economy cycle.
Not All Water Birds Are the Same
Wetland habitats are significant to many bird species. Marshes and wetlands provide shelter, opportunities for foraging, and serve as rest stops along a migrating bird’s path. However, people are often unaware of the diverse species of birds that live within their local wetland preserves.