News & Insights

Grand Prairie Friends has received national recognition that will assist with their future efforts to maintain Warbler Ridge in Charleston and other preserves under its stewardship.

Land Trust Alliance, the national accreditation commission for land trusts in the United States, recently announced that the East Central Illinois conservation organization has achieved first-time accreditation following a three-year application process. Grand Prairie Friends, founded in 1984, is now one of nine accredited land trusts in Illinois and the only one outside of the Chicago area, Macomb, and the St. Louis area.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. The Alliance works with local and national partners to provide grants to land trusts, totaling more than $40 million over the last 40 years. These grants provide land trusts the opportunity to build their organizations, protect lands and waters that matter most in the Earth’s changing climate and think creatively about how they serve their communities

“Accreditation demonstrates Grand Prairie Friends’ commitment to permanent land conservation for existing and future projects. We are a stronger organization for having gone through the accreditation program. Our strength means special places – such as Warbler Ridge Conservation Area and Loda Cemetery Prairie – will be protected forever for us and our children,” said GPF President Craig Milling.

Warbler Ridge includes five areas protected within the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission system. These include Warbler Woods Nature Preserve, Embarras Ridge Land and Water Reserve, Warbler Woods North Land and Water Reserve, Warbler Bottoms North Land and Water Reserve, and Warbler Landing Land and Water Reserve.

Read more on the accreditation from our friends at the Journal Gazette & Times Courier