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State Profile
The
Prairie State is a gentle landscape, blessed with abundant water, rare
and beautiful plants and animals, and some of the finest topsoil in the
world. If you know where to look, Illinois has scenic wonders—oak
savannas, hardwood forests, tallgrass prairies, creeks, meadows, and
spectacular frontage on Lake Michigan.
Our
natural wonders include the Shawnee National Forest and its spectacular
Garden of the Gods, seven national wildlife refuges, the Midewin
National Tallgrass Prairie, Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area, Volo
Bog, and Chicago Wilderness, one of the most expansive systems of
protected open space in any major urban area in the country.
The
settlers who came here in the 19th century found a natural paradise:
endless seas of grass higher than a man's head and the deep, fertile
soils that their decomposition had created over thousands of years;
abundant songbirds, game, pollinators, and predators; bird-filled
marshes and clean, free-flowing rivers; savannas carpeted with
wildflowers under wide-spreading burr oaks; and dense forests of oak
and hickory like those the settlers had known in the East.
Human
settlement, agricultural development, and industrialization have
altered much of Illinois' landscape. Protecting our state's remaining
natural areas, keeping air and water clean, and fostering development
of our state's abundant clean energy resources are high priorities for
REP.
Working together, we can conserve Illinois' rich natural heritage for the pleasure and benefit of future generations.
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To
honor Martha Marks' extraordinary service as REP's co-founder,
and as REP's long-time president and board chair, REP arranged for planting a tree in her
honor in front of the Ryerson Woods Visitor Center within the Lake
County Forest Preserves that Martha worked hard to protect and expand
during her 10 years service on the Lake County Board of County
Commissioners and Forest Preserve Board.
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