Mark your calendar and plan to attend Prairie Land Conservancy's Annual Meeting! The meeting is scheduled for March 11, 2010 at 5:30 at the Red Ox Restuarant basement in Macomb, IL. Guest speaker Mark Cochran from Sangamon Conservancy will be on hand discussing farmland preservation. The Prairie Land Conservancy will conduct its business meeting afterwards. The cost is $14 per person which will include a buffet meal and drink. Please RSVP by March 3rd to Tracy Meredith at tracy.meredith@rcdnet.net or David King at david.king@il.usda.gov or by calling the office at (309)833-4747. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the upcoming Annual Council Meeting! This meeting will be held January 14, 2010 at the Red Ox in Macomb, Illinois at 10 am. Lunch will be provided. More information will be mailed. Please RSVP by close of business on January 11, 2010 for planning purposes. If you have questions, please call the office at (309)833-4747.

Please find below a list of tentaviley scheduled Prairie Hills RC&D Council Meetings and Executive Board Meetings for 2010. As the meeting dates get closer, information will be mailed to you.

2010 TENTATIVE COUNCIL MEETING DATES
Thursday January 14, 2010 ANNUAL MEETING
Thursday April 23, 2010
Thursday July 23, 2010
Thursday October 22, 2010

2010 TENTATIVE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING DATES
Thursday February 19, 2010
Thursday April 16, 2010
Thursday June 18, 2010
Thursday August 20, 2010
Thursday October 15, 2010
Thursday December 17, 2010

These dates are subject to change depending on circumstances.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), in cooperation with Prairie Hills Resource COnservation and Development, Inc. would like you to become informed of our Earth Team Volunteer Program. The mission of the Earth Team Volunteer Program is to provide an effective volunteer workforce with the NRCS and Prairie Hills to help people conserve, improve, and sustain the Earth's resources and it's environment.

Locally we are encouraging individuals with time to visit our office and volunteer their time in the effort to assist us with our activities. The kind of work you could assist us with could be computer work, sorting children's books and education for the Reaching Edicating and Developing Youth Bus literacy program, or stewardship such as brush cutting, mowing, seeding, and sign making at the Stony Hills Nature Preserve, or assisting the Prairie Land Conservancy with stewardship.

If you have questions or would like to become an Earth Team Volunteer, you may call us at (309)833-4747. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. We may also be reached by email at tracy.meredith@rcdnet.net, or david.king@il.usda.gov.

Prairie Hills RC&D READY (Reaching, Educating and Developing Youth) Bus had a great year! This literacy program, which provides children pre-school through eighth grade, educational presentations on conservation, wildlife habitat and the environment, and gives them a free book of their choice, traveled to over 25 events in 2009, and gave away over 2500 books throughout it's travels! The children have made the program so worthwhile and exciting. They light up when they see the bus and get to pick out their free book! Of course none of this could have been possible without the outstanding community support recieved throughout Prairie Hills 6 counties. The READY Bus received $1,000 from Walmart of Macomb, $3,000 from the Dollar General, $250 from the Macomb Kiwanis Club, over $300 from the West Central Officials Association, and several hundred from other groups and individuals. These monies have helped the READY Bus purchase new books and needed educational material.

Along with monetary donations, the READY Bus literacy program has received tremendous amounts of great quality new and used book donations. The United North Elementary School in Alexis held a book drive at the end of their school year and donated over 2,500 books to the program! The Warren County Home and Community Education Association adopted the READY Bus program for 2009 and came up with over 700 donated books. Some other large donors included the The Crossing Thrift Store, Henderson County SWCD, Fulton County Farm Bureau, Deb Baker of Lewistown, Mary McMahon of Macomb, Nauvoo Elementary, WIU Vocational Ag Club, and many more. To date, the READY Bus program has received over 7,000 donated books! The overwhelming support is greatly appreciated and helps the READY Bus put the kids first.

The READY Bus hopes to travel to approximately 30 events in 2010, and give away over 3,000 books! Some other goals the bus has for 2010 is to obtain additional funds for operational expenses, install an awning for the side, install solar lighting, continue to collect new and good quality used books, and obtain funding to hire a part time educator for the program.

Prairie Hills RC&D and the READY Bus program would like to thank all the groups, organizations and individuals for the tremendous support and donations! If you or your organization would like to sponsor the READY Bus program, provide a donation, or schedule the bus for 2010, please contact the office at (309)833-4747.

Please continue to check back to see the upcoming 2010 READY Bus schedule!

The Prairie Land Conservancy received a 196 acre land donation from Roger and Gretchen Batz in July of 2009! The land is located in Hancock County and is the second largest privately owned nature preserve in Illinois. Since the donation, the PLC has been working hard on the property. Several members have helped cut trees and brush to make trails along with preparing stewardship plans for the land. In October they held an Open House on the property called Stony Hills. This open house provided an opportunity to thank the Batz for their generous donation and also give interested individuals the chance to view the property and hear about future goals and plans for the property.

Recently the PLC had a new brochure professionally designed and printed. The new brochure arrived just before Christmas and is available to the public at their request. The PLC plans to attend the Ag Mechanization Show at Western Illinois University in February and will have the brochures available along with a Landowner's Guide and PLC Fact sheet for interested individuals.

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the PLC, providing assistance, or interested in learning more about conservation easements, please visit the PLC website at www.prairielandconservancy.com or call the office at (309)833-4747.

In September 2007, Prairie Hills accepted a $250,000 grant on behalf of the LaMoine River Ecosystem Partnership from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Prairie HIlls RC&D is working in conjunction with the Illinois Beef Association, Lamoine River Ecosystem Partnership, and the McDonough County Soil Water Conservation District. The grant monies are intended to provide livestock operators alternative watering sources to the river and improve pasture grazing to help protect the river from erosion and pollution of sediment and animal waste. This program will use Best Management Practices in the upper reaches of the LaMoine River Watershed. Installation of the practices will address water quality, streambank erosion, runoff, and habitat degradation through coordinated livestock management. Examples of some practices include the following: fencing, watering facilities, soil testing, nutrient management plans, prescribed grazing, stream crossings, upland erosion control, streambank stabilization, grade control and wetland riparian re-vegetation. Prairie Hills will be working with the IEPA on this conservation reserve program for approximately 2 years helping provide cost share to landowners interested in this program. To date Prairie Hills has assisted 6 landowners with a few more applicants currently in progress. The livestock operations have varied from cattle to sheep.
If you would like to receive more information on this program, please contact our office at (309)833-4747.