Prairie Research Institute

🌦️ Big news for Coles County! A new climate monitoring station is now providing real-time local data for the area!

The station is part of the Illinois Climate Network and WARM Program at Illinois State Water Survey, which has been tracking weather and soil conditions across Illinois since the late 1980s. This is the first new station added to the network in over 20 years, made possible by a grant from the Lumpkin Family Foundation.

👉 Learn more at the link in the comments.

Everyone Belongs Nature Festival Join us June 20th for our the 2026 Everyone Belongs Nature Festival! Enjoy fishing, archery, canoeing, yoga, music & more!

What will Illinois look like in 2100 — and what pieces of history might be lost along the way?

New State Archaeological Survey research projects that land-use change and urban growth could affect or destroy nearly 55,000 cultural sites across the state by the end of the century. Globally, millions of archaeological sites may also be at risk.

Researchers say the next 25 years will be critical for smarter planning, targeted surveys, and partnerships that help protect the past while building for the future.

“We don’t need to save everything and that would be impossible anyway,” said Andrew White, who co-authored the study with John Lambert. “What we can do is identify the problem and try to find ways to address it that move us forward, discovering previously unknown sites before it is too late, protecting those that we choose to protect, and learning what we can from those that we can’t protect.”

Found a bat in your house? 🦇 Don't worry — here's a guide on how to remove it safely, written by mammalogist and bat expert Tara Hohoff from the Illinois Natural History Survey. 👉 Check it out at the link in the comments.

Bat in the house? 🦇

A bat biologist walks through the steps for persuading a bat to leave your home, and what to do when a whole family decides to roost in your attic.

👷 Visiting Scientific Specialist, Environmental Assessments Researcher - Join Illinois State Geological Survey!
Help evaluate potential environmental and geologic hazards and risks for Illinois Department of Transportation infrastructure improvement projects. Apps due Jun. 18, 2026.
👉 Find the link to apply in the comments.

Ready to get hooked on fishing? 🪝
Swim over to Ifishillinois, the official source for all things fish, from permits and licenses to fish guides and places to fish. This newly refreshed website was put together by Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Natural History Survey.
👉 Check out this great resource using the link in the comments.

Flood maps play an important role in helping communities understand risk and access flood insurance through FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program.

Scientists at the Illinois State Water Survey help update Flood Insurance Rate Maps across the state, providing communities with data used for planning, mitigation, and insurance decisions.

WBEZ recently explored why many Chicago-area residents remain uninsured despite growing flood risks: https://loom.ly/UqDqu1E

Few Chicago residents buy flood insurance, but should they? Almost every community in the Chicago area is at risk of flooding, and powerful storms are expected to increase. Here's what to know about flood insurance.

What a great story! 🤩 There's still so much to learn about our rivers and lakes.

Americans eels are born in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There’s just one other known instance of one being found in the Chicago River in recent years.

April in Illinois had a few brief periods of cooler-than-normal temperatures, heavy precipitation, and severe weather and tornadoes. ⛈️ Get the latest climate recap and summer outlook from State Climatologist Trent Ford and Illinois State Water Survey. 👉 Link in the comments.