Prairie Rivers Network

What renewable energy source is available 24/7, 365 days a year? Geothermal!

Community geothermal projects allow neighborhoods to share underground piping systems that use the earth’s stable temperatures to provide renewable heating and cooling energy even on cloudy, non-windy days!

Join us to hear from three community geothermal projects in rural and urban communities, offering local examples of how communities are planning for community geothermal systems. This webinar is part of our Resilient Communities Webinar Series, co-hosted with the University of Illinois Extension Community and Economic Development.

*Infographic from the U.S. Department of Energy

ATTENTION COMMON GROUND FOOD CO-OP OWNERS!

Voting for the 2027 Round Up For Good program at the Common Ground Food Co-op ends soon and Prairie Rivers Network is on the list of potential organizations.

Our work to protect the Middle Fork River from toxic coal ash is on the ballot! We’re working alongside community members to ensure the safe removal of approximately 3 millions cubic yards of toxic coal ash that sits near the river bank. Whether you have floated, kayaked, fished or swam in the Middle Fork, you can help us continue to protect and restore it by voting for PRN as one of the Round Up For Good organizations for next year.

Voting closes this Thursday at 8pm—check out all the wonderful nominees and cast your vote for your favorite organizations today!

https://www.commonground.coop/round-up-2027

Chicago has a serious bird-window collision problem—but we can help change that.

The entire state of Illinois is part of the Mississippi flyway and fall bird migration is well underway, with millions of birds flying south for winter. Many of these migrating birds pass through Chicagoland each year, and thousands are killed in collisions with buildings. In 2023, roughly 1,000 birds died in a single night at McCormick Place.

The good news? Bird-friendly solutions work. After McCormick Place installed collision deterrents, early data showed collisions dropped by more than 90%. The Chicago Collisions Coalition—a group of conservation organizations—is working to get the City Council to adopt strong, mandatory bird-friendly building standards.

If you live or work in Chicago, contact your Alderperson before the September 22 zoning committee meeting and ask them to support the bird-friendly building ordinance—you can send a letter here. https://act.abcbirds.org/a/take-action-chicago-bird-collisions?ms=external_web_aa_collisions_gen_chicago_link_takeaction

Together we can help make Chicago safer for birds.

Not in Chicago? Cities and towns of all sizes can help create a safer migration environment for birds. We encourage you to learn more about how (or if) your community has any ordinances or protections in place for birds.

Illustration by Hannah Sellers hannah sellers

Prairie Rivers Network’s wetlands efforts in the Quad Cities are ready for their public television close-up! You can now watch the Season Four premiere of Illinois Public Media’s Emmy Award-winning program, Prairie Fire, on Youtube. The Prairie Fire team caught beautiful footage of the wetlands in and near the Quad Cities and helped to tell the stories they hold. You will also catch our River Health and Resiliency Organizer, Nina Struss, who has been working in the Quad Cities to preserve and protect hundreds of acres of wetlands—and counting! The segment also features friends from Nahant Marsh, the Wetlands Initiative at Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, and Rock Island.

Watch the season premiere here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOchidxI138&list=PLYcO97ibZlIRsMk_uza0DA_rlWvKgPbMw&index=1

Photo courtesy of Prairie Fire - PBS and Illinois Public Media.

Agrivoltaics is the co-location of solar and agriculture, and a few members of the Prairie Rivers Network team got a firsthand look at a project in Southern Illinois last week!

PRN’s Amanda Pankau, Randa Watts, and Liz Mackenbach explored Sol Systems’ Eldorado Solar Project, where Food Works, American Farmland Trust, MNL, and other local partners have created a dynamic space for multiple agrivoltaics opportunities. The project includes growing food crops like summer squash, kale, and carrots under the solar arrays, grazing sheep and chickens, and utilizing perennial pollinator vegetation which helps minimize stormwater runoff and build long-term soil health.

This Sol Systems project is at the forefront of how lasting community partnerships can benefit from solar installations. But the innovation doesn’t stop at this site. They are investing in community organizations like Eldorado High School, Faith in Place, U of I Extension Gallatin/Hamilton/Hardin/Pope/Saline/White, Southern Illinois Community Foundation, Food Works of Southern Illinois, American Farmland Trust, and Prairie Rivers Network to support projects and efforts across Saline County.

With support from Sol System’s Eldorado Impact Project, PRN is working on multiple projects in Saline County. These projects include Saline Shines, bringing energy saving solutions to the community, and SUNBEES, educating schools on environmental opportunities and planting pollinator plots alongside faculty and students.

Learn more about Sol System's Eldorado Solar Project here: https://www.eldoradosolarproject.com/

You know those marshy, swampy looking places you see from time to time on the sides of the highway or out in the country?

Those are likely one of our state's critical wetland areas. They're referred to as "nature's kidneys," and they play a key role in the health of both the land and the waters throughout Illinois.

On the season four premiere of Prairie Fire - PBS the team takes a tour of a few of the state's wetlands and meets the people who are fighting to keep them healthy as the earth warms. Nina Struss of Prairie Rivers Network discusses the importance of wetlands and how to get involved in preserving them in your own communities.

Tune in this Thursday, September 17th at 7:30 PM on WILL-TV. This episode will also be available to stream on Illinois Public Media's YouTube channel and the PBS App.

Last week Prairie Rivers Network hosted an event at the historic Hauberg Estate in Rock Island—bringing together PRN staff Nina Struss, Kim Erdnt-Pitcher, Maggie Bruns, and Devin Walker and community members from the Quad Cities. From discussing the impacts of chemical trespass and advocacy work in Springfield to protecting wetlands right in their backyards, attendees heard firsthand about the work that PRN is doing in that region and beyond.

Guests also enjoyed snacks from NEST Cafe and an art activation by local artist Meghan Hollister with Studio 2 Makings. Just as rivers cross state lines, so do our collaborations—which is why we were especially glad to have Ryan Smith from Iowa Wildlife Federation join us and connect with our Iowa community members. Events like this remind us that strong partnerships, whether in another community or another state, are essential to protecting the places we call home.

A huge thank you to Senator Laura Ellman for leading on environmental issues in Illinois. PRN staff Robert Hirschfeld, Omar Garcia, and Kala Collum had the opportunity to join the conversation with the Environmental Policy students at North Central College! They discussed the important role that wetlands play in building community resiliency and dove into why advocacy is so critical to protecting what is left of these natural infrastructures.

I had a great conversation recently with Environmental Policy students at North Central College. We got into the weeds (literally) on wetlands: what they are, why they matter, and the legislation I've introduced to protect them in Illinois. I'm grateful to the folks from Prairie Rivers Network who came along to talk through the advocacy angle, which added a lot to the conversation.

Thanks to the students for such a great discussion, I loved all your questions, and appreciate your engagement as we work to get this legislation across the finish line.

It’s kind of chic to protect water, heal land, and inspire change.

Prairie Rivers Network has spent nearly six decades harnessing the creative power of science, law, and community action to protect our water, lands, and communities across Illinois. Today, we continue to honor our roots in community-led advocacy while working toward a more resilient and sustainable future for generations to come.

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