Our Story

People and nature. That's what Conserve Lake County has always been about. 

Since 1995, we have served people like you who care about nature and want to protect and restore the land and water around us. Today, we help people preserve Lake County's precious landscapes. We help people improve the health of the land with land stewardship projects that bring vitality back to prairies, wetlands, and woodlands. We inspire people to care about conservation and are involved in planning and advocacy for nature. And because farming practices affect the health of our ecosystems, we are involved in collaborative efforts to increase local food production and expand sustainable agriculture.

We are strategic, collaborative, service-oriented, and have a can-do spirit. We are also committed to making it possible for as many people as possible to be engaged in land conservation.This has led us to launch the FloraFox program in 2011 to help and encourage Lake County residents to bring nature home to their own landscapes. As people apply more eco-friendly landscaping practices on their own private lawns and gardens, the collective result will be cleaner water, richer soils, and more resilient ecosystems.

Lake County is our home. Like you, we believe that keeping nature healthy is essential to keeping it a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. A place for people and wildlife. Working together, we can make a difference.

History

• We were established in 1995 as the Liberty Prairie Conservancy by citizens concerned about development pressures that threatened a unique public/private conservation effort known as the Liberty Prairie Reserve. Early on we focused on land use planning and ecological restoration within the 5,800 acre reserve where today, more than 3,300 acres have been protected from further development hundreds of acres of habitat are being restored. Read More
• In 2004 we expanded into a countywide land conservation organization—an organization that can directly preserve open space from development through land purchases, land donations, and the acceptance of conservation easements. 
• Since 2004, Conserve Lake County has preserved over 300 acres, through land acquisitions, easements, land donations, and landowner negotiations. We were also instrumental in creating a countywide Open Space Vision in partnership with 17 private and public conservation organizations. The vision sets an ambitious but achievable goal of preserving 20% of Lake County by 2030.
• In 2007 we purchased the historic Casey Farm just north of Libertyville, saving the woods, pastures, and farmland from development. The purchase was made possible by two substantial donor gifts as well as partnerships with the Lake County Forest Preserve District and Libertyville Township which subsequently purchased portions of the farm from us. This important purchase made possible the linkage of two important Lake County trail systems. The section of trail linking the two trail networks is scheduled to open in 2013.
• In 2011, we launched the Conservation@Home program to improve the health of the land and water of Lake County by helping residents take care of nature in their own backyards.
• In 2011, we also became part of a collaborative effort designed to bring more local food production and sustainable agriculture to Lake County. Read about the Local Food Initiative.

You can help! And in the process you'll meet great people and reconnect with nature in ways that are richly satisfying. Please explore more of our website. Please feel free to contact us with questions and ideas. Please help Conserve Lake County today.