Citizens for Conservation (commonly called CFC) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, centered in

Barrington, Illinois Barrington is a village in Cook County and Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,722 at the 2020 census. A northwest suburb of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks, and horse trails in a country-s ...

, established in 1971. CFC's motto is ''Saving Living Space for Living Things through protection, restoration and stewardship of land, conservation of natural resources and education''. It is a member of

Chicago Wilderness Chicago Wilderness is a regional alliance of more than 250 different organizations that work together to improve the quality of life of the individuals and the many other species living in the Chicago (Illinois) area."Chicago Wilderness." Chicago ...

and the

Land Trust Alliance Land Trust Alliance is a nature conservation organization, based in Washington, D.C. The Alliance represents many land trusts across the United States. History Originally formed as the Land Trust Exchange in Boston on February 22, 1982, Allan Spa ...

. CFC specializes in

habitat restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

, both on properties it owns and nearby forest preserves of Lake County Forest Preserve District and

Forest Preserve District of Cook County The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...

. CFC relies almost entirely on volunteers, meeting at least once a week year-round. In addition, student interns are hired during the summer. CFC received the 2011 Conservation and Native Landscaping award from the

U.S. EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

and Chicago Wilderness for its restoration work on the ''Flint Creek Savanna'', their largest property and location of their headquarters.

CFC properties

As of early 2020, CFC owned 12 properties for a total of 476 acres. Much of this is agricultural land that was donated or purchased, and restored back to natural habitat, primarily

oak savanna An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks (''Quercus ''spp.) are the dominant trees. The terms "oakery" or "woodlands" are also used commonly, though the former is more prevalent when referencing the Mediter ...

tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroach ...

, and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s. Removal of

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

and re-seeding of native species from local seed sources is the main focus of habitat restoration. It has the largest holding of

fee simple In English law, a fee simple or fee simple absolute is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. A "fee" is a vested, inheritable, present possessory interest in land. A "fee simple" is real property held without limit of time (i.e., perm ...

lands (direct ownership) of any non-profit in Lake County, Illinois.

Education

CFC offers periodic programs for children as part of the No Child Left Inside project, and works with the local school district to introduce 3rd and 4th graders to the prairie. It also provides occasional community education programs for adults.

References

{{reflist Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Ecological restoration