• Home
  • How We Work
  • Where We Work
  • News Room
  • About Us
  • My Nature Page

The Nature Conservancy in Africa - Conservation in Africa

The Nature Conservancy in Asia Pacific - Conservation in Asia-Pacific

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean - Conservation in the Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy in Central America - Conservation in Central America

The Nature Conservancy in North America - Conservation in North America

The Nature Conservancy in the United States - Conservation in the United States

The Nature Conservancy in South America - Conservation in South America


 

Illinois

The Volunteer Stewardship Network (VSN)
Celebrating 25 Years of Service to Illinois' Natural Places!

Nachusa Fire Crew
Volunteers helping to conduct a prescribed burn at
The Nature Conservancy's Nachusa Grasslands Preserve. 

The Network was born in 1983, when the Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission organized a VSN as a resource for citizen conservationists looking for a way to help. Twenty-five years later, the Network continues to be a vibrant, active network, comprised of various volunteer groups across the state performing crucial work towards preserving our natural heritage. The Network supports more than 74 volunteer groups helping public and private landowners maintain and restore more than 350 high-quality natural areas throughout Illinois.

The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission lend support by supplying volunteers with some of the tools, training, and conservation expertise to do the job.

Gatherings Online Newsletter
Gatherings Online is an email newsletter that is published bi-monthly by The Nature Conservancy to inform the stewardship community of new resources, upcoming events, workshops, and news from around the Network. Click here to view the current or past issues. If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter, please contact Karen Tharp at ktharp@tnc.org

The Stewards Listserve
This listserve has been set up to facilitate and encourage discussion among VSN stewards, co-stewards, monitors, and others. Discussion topics might include management plans, monitoring techniques, volunteer recruitment, stewardship techniques and tools, status of animals and plant species, and so on. Special stewardship events, workshops, and conferences may also be posted on the listserve. Subscription to the listserve is limited to people who are volunteers in the Network. Click here for instructions on how to join the stewards listserve.

VSN Stewardship Fund
The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission accept requests for funding once a year from volunteer groups within the Network. In the past, groups have used these funds to help purchase fire safety equipment, herbicide, tools, or to help pay for newsletter printing and/or supplies for a recruitment event. The deadline to request funding is June 1 of each year.  For more information contact ktharp@tnc.org or toll free at 866-VSN-LINE (876-5463).

VSN Steering Committee
The VSN Steering Committee is comprised of landowners, public and private conservation agencies and organizations, and volunteers representing groups from across the state. This committee meets twice a year to discuss issues and develop tools which will benefit groups within the Network.