Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Department of Agriculture,
and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Conservation 2000 program

The Conservation 2000 (C2000) program is a 14-year, multi-agency, $276 million comprehensive program designed to take a holistic, long-term approach to protecting and managing Illinois' natural resources. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) administers the Ecosystems Program and the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP), a statewide ecosystem assessment and monitoring program. The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the IEPA also administer portions of the C2000 program (IDNR C2000 2004). The IDNR Ecosystems Program is based on an extensive network of local volunteers working to leverage technical and financial resources to promote ecosystem-based management primarily on private lands. With 95% of the state land in private ownership, the main objective of the program is to assist in the formation of public/private partnerships - “Ecosystem Partnerships” - to develop plans and projects on a river basin scale within an ecosystem-based approach.

Two key criteria are established for the Ecosystems Program:

1. They must be voluntary, and based on incentives rather than government regulation, and
2. They must be broad-based, locally organized efforts, incorporating the interests and participation of local communities, and of private, public and corporate landowners.

The Conservation 2000 (C2000) program currently has a total of 41 Ecosystem Partnerships, comprising 85% of the state. Twenty of these partnerships exist in counties that comprise the Illinois River. These partnerships include: Big Rivers, Chicago Wilderness, DuPage River Coalition, Fox River, Headwaters, Hear of the Sangamon, Illinois River Bluffs, Kankakee River, Lake Calumet, LaMoine River, Lower Des Plaines, Lower Sangamon Valley, Mackinaw River, North Branch of the Chicago River, Prairie Parklands, Spoon River, Thorn Creek, Upper Des Plaines, Upper Salt Creek, and Vermilion Watershed Task Force (IDNR 2004).

Since 1996, C2000 funding has provided for more than $29,500,000 in grants and leveraged an additional $31,500,000 in match for 735 projects. With this funding, much as been accomplished (IDNR C2000 2004):

• Restoration of more than 50,000 acres of prairie, forest and wetland habitat;
• Protection of nearly 2,600 acres of habitat through fee-simple acquisitions and protection of over 3,500 acres with conservation easements; and
• Education of approximately 400,000 citizens about the importance of protecting Illinois’ natural resources.

While C2000 is a state-wide program, 20 of the 41 Ecosystem Partnerships exist within the Illinois River basin. Much has been accomplished to restore habitat within this region.