1	CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS Governmental and not-for-profit organizations at the national, state, county and other levels are responsible for protecting natural resources including native species.
2	READING In Freeman p541 includes information on Endangered Species Act. Pages 1278-81 has relevant information. http://www.doi.gov/ http://dnr.state.il.us/ http://www.fpdcc.com/ http://nature.org/
3	Federal Agencies Department of the Interior National Parks and Monuments Bureau of Indian Affairs Bureau of Land Management USGS Geological Survey USFWS Fish and Wildlife Service
4	USFWS = United States Fish and Wildlife Service runs the National Wildlife Refuge System
5	Federal Agencies Department of Agriculture National Forests Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Protection Agency EPA Department of Defense Many military bases have natural areas
6	State Agency Division of Natural Resources State Parks and Forests Nature Preserves Commission Natural Heritage Division Fishing Hunting Natural History Survey
7	Natural Heritage Division About a dozen people are employed in Illinois as Natural Heritage Biologists. Natural Heritage Biologists try to maintain and/or improve the quality of natural areas owned by the state. The Wildlife Preservation Fund checkoff supports the Natural Heritage Division.
8	Plants and Animal ‘Ownership’ Wild animals are considered property of the state. The taking of mammals, birds and fish is regulated by state and federal law. Plant ownership goes with property ownership. States have no legal ability to interfere with plant destruction.
9	County Forest Preserve Districts Forest Preserve Districts are authorized by the state legislature. Most counties in IL do not have forest preserve districts. Cook, Dupage, Kane, Lake & Will Counties have forest preserve districts. The FPDCC owns 67,000 acres, between 10 and 11% of Cook County.
10	FPDCC FPDCC began acquiring land in 1918. Much of the land they purchased was high quality forests. About 25,000 acres of FPDCC land is remnant natural area with high quality. The quality of FPDCC land is deteriorating, especially through non-natives plants, but also by imbalance of native species
11	FPDCC There is no hunting on FPDCC land. Deer populations have increased from none a hundred years ago to over a 100 per square mile (0.4 per hectare). The deer are significantly changing the plant populations of the preserves and therefore affecting many animals.
12	Loss of species in preserves At Cranberry Slough Nature Preserve where I am volunteer steward, in 2001-2002 I could not find 73 species that I had seen between 1983 and 2000. Most of the species lost were forbs that are readily eaten by deer.
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14	Other governmental agencies Drainage districts – ditches and tiling Soil Conservation districts Focus on improving agricultural productivity Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Treatment of wastewater
15	NGO = Non-Governmental Organization Private not-for-profit corporations, legal entities. National The Nature Conservancy, TNC Local Natural Land Institute Save the Prairie Society (Wolf Road Prairie)
16	The Nature Conservancy Our Mission To preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Total acres protected by the Conservancy in the United States: nearly 15 million
17	The Nature Conservancy Illinois Sites Indian Boundary prairies (Markham) Bluff Spring Fen (Elgin) Kankakee Sands (in Indiana) Nachusa Grassland (north-central IL) Cache River Wetlands (southern IL)
18	Preserve Location Governments have divided the world up into chunks of property with boundaries that are not impacted by nature. Governments and NGOs get opportunities to purchase chunks for preservation of the flora and fauna. The chunks will be big enough for some species, but not big enough for others.
19	Factors important in Population Stability Seasonal Migration Patterns Must provide habitat for all parts of the life cycle Capacity to move between places Opportunities to colonize new areas -metapopulations
20	Value of Natural Areas What is the value of keeping natural areas? Natural areas provide ecological function, but much of that function can be partly done by alternative communities. Natural area have diverse sets of species, but many people’s curiosity can be satiated by cultural activities.
21	Value of Natural Areas Scientists and historians need natural areas to interpret the past and the present. Plants and animals need natural areas to persist. Ultimately the survival of natural areas is dependent on the affection some people have for them. Willingness to pester public officials and ultimately to disrupt economic function.
22	VOCABULARY National Parks National Forests National wildlife refuge Division of Natural Resources Heritage biologist State park Forest Preserves Nature Preserve remnant NGO TNC, The Nature Conservancy