Conservation groups merge

A Kane County conservation group has been folded into The Conservation Foundation, a Naperville-based not-for-profit.

The Fox Valley Land Foundation, which has worked on helping pass open-space ballot proposals and institute conservation easements in the area since 1992, became part of the larger group this month.

The plan was announced on Tuesday.

The two not-for-profit groups had many of the same members and issues, and merging the two groups will cut down on administrative and infrastructure costs, said Brook McDonald, president and CEO of The Conservation Foundation.

"It didn't make sense to duplicate what we already had," he said. "This allows more money to focus on our mission."

The land foundation's one full-time and one part-time employee will stay on for at least several months to help with the transition, he said. The Conservation Foundation will keep up all the land foundation's projects, he said. The Fox Valley group had especially strong natural area upkeep and restoration projects, which will fill a void at The Conservation Foundation, he said.

Members of the land foundation's board of directors have become members of The Conservation Foundation's board of directors.

The Conservation Foundation is based in Naperville and has an additional office in Montgomery. It was founded in 1972 but started working actively in Kane County in 1997.

It also focuses on preservation issues throughout northeast Illinois, particularly DuPage, Kendall and Will counties, and boasts more than 4,500 donors and members.

It has worked to help pass three open-space referendum proposals in Kane County and two in Campton Township.