Matching grant effort to benefit Ottawa's Dayton Bluffs
The Conservation Foundation is hoping to turn $7,000 into $28,000 this month.
If donations reach $7,000 by the end of September, the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation will match that amount three-to-one with a $21,000 donation.
That means if the goal is reached, The Conservation Foundation could end up with $28,000 to continue the restoration of its newly-acquired Dayton Bluffs Preserve near Ottawa.
The foundation is reaching out to members of the community and environmental supporters to help meet the challenge.
"Dayton Bluffs is a natural and archaeological gem for the people of Ottawa," President and CEO Brook McDonald, said.
Cleanup and restoration efforts already have started, but there's a lot of work ahead at the 253-acre preserve.
The property was purchased by The Conservation Foundation in 2013 and will be leased to the City of Ottawa to manage as a public preserve.
The Dayton Bluffs property received a high rating in a 1999 ecological study inventorying high quality natural areas along the lower Fox River. Several prehistoric archaeological sites have been discovered on the property.
About 15 acres were cleared of invasive plants such as buckthorn and honeysuckle recently with the help of more than 500 employees from Fairmount Santrol.
The company produces sand-based products for the oil and gas industry and has locations worldwide, including Wedron, about 15 miles upstream on the Fox River from Dayton Bluffs.
Future plans include a roadway and parking area, trails, and education programs for the public.
Donations can be made online by going to The Conservation Foundation website, theconservationfoundation.org. Donations also are accepted by mail: McDonald Farm, 10S404 Knoch Knolls Road, Naperville, IL 60565.
Checks should be made payable to The Conservation Foundation, and indicate Dayton Bluffs.
The Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving lands, cleaning up rivers and streams, and promoting stewardship of the environment. Find out more at theconservationfoundation.org.