Townsend Glade

In May, 2018, NLI acquired the 149 acre Rhodes property known as Townsend Glade, taking the long view that it may eventually become part of the Apple River Canyon State Park in Jo Daviess County. The Apple River runs through the western edge of the property with cliff communities along the river. There are remnant prairies, woodlands and floodplain grassland, providing an important range of aquatic, prairie, and forest habitat.

Grants to purchase the property came from the Grand Victoria Foundation Vital Lands Program, from Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, and in part by funding as mitigation for impacts to bat habitat caused by the construction and maintenance of the Enbridge Pipelines, LLC, Flanagan South Pipeline in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Conservation Fund.

All the grantors also gave us short term restoration and endowment stewardship funds to manage the preserve. These funders all required information from us about our community support to determine our agency sustainability. This was to make sure we have the capacity to manage these preserves before granting us these funds. Thank you to our donors and members who are responsible for providing that sustainability. Jim and Kitty Rhodes had long wanted to sell to an established conservation group to see their land protected in perpetuity. Thank you to them, and to you for making this important acquisition possible.

This preserve is open to the public. Location: 5944 East Townsend Road, Stockton, IL 61085

Directions