www.HeartLandsConservancy.org
What’s Inside Building Greener Communities Our Stormwater..........................1 Land Conservation Berger Easement........................2 People & Nature Upcoming Events.......................2 Field to Fork................................3
Directors Robert J. Hilgenbrink, Chair IL Green Economy Network Robert Nelson, Secretary Nelson & Nelson Frank O. Miles, Vice Chair Madison County Community Development Ronda Latina, Treasurer Environmental Operations, Inc. Bill Armstrong Land Owner William Boardman Firehouse Contracting, LLC Brenda Chandler Buy A Farm Ronald J. Foster, Jr. Schoen, Walton, Telken & Foster Dennis (Denny) Kirkham Land Owner Robert Knobeloch St. Louis Prompters LLC Charles Meier Illinois State Representative Bill Reichert EWR Associates Cliff Schuette Schuette Seed Company Justin Siegel Deli Star Corporation Dawnesha Tomlin American Water
A Quarterly Publication of HeartLands Conservancy
Summer 2015
Building Greener Communities Now More than Ever, Stormwater is Everyone’s Responsibility This past June was the wettest June on record in Illinois with 9.53 inches of rain. What’s more, 7 out of Illinois’ 10 wettest Junes have occurred since 1993. In addition to being the wettest June on record, it was the second wettest month on record in the state. As you may have noticed, the frequency and intensity of storms in our area is increasing while the amount of pervious surface is decreasing. This means more flash flooding in our communities and on our farm fields. Flash flooding has a major impact on water quality and the environment. Chemicals and other Mascoutah, June 2015 hazardous substances end up in the water and contaminate our water bodies. Floods also affect our finances. In 2011, the cost of all floods in the USA was more than $8.6 billion. Whereas levees will protect river-adjacent communities to a certain extent, we are now seeing increased flooding of interior creeks and in neighborhoods where flooding was not an issue before. In Southwestern Illinois, we share a common watershed. That is—we impact people downstream and are impacted by people upstream. It is everyone’s collective responsibility to make sure our shared watershed is healthy and resilient. We need to invest in infrastructure that will help water naturally infiltrate into the ground instead of running off onto our neighbors property—we need to invest in ‘green’ infrastructure. That is why HeartLands Conservancy is working so hard to protect our existing green infrastructure—our wetlands, creeks, and forests. These areas are critical for improving water quality and naturally managing stormwater in our region. That is also why our Field to Fork event on July 18 is so important to us. All proceeds from Field to Fork benefit land conservation in Southwestern Illinois so that we can work regionally to ensure Southwestern Illinois remains a great place for present and future generations.
Dave Eustis President/CEO