Learn about grassland bird conservation at Friends of Hackmatack annual meeting

Jim Herkert, executive director of the Illinois Audubon Society, will be the featured speaker at the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge's annual meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Richmond.

Herkert will talk about the role the greater Chicago area is playing in efforts to conserve grassland-dependent birds like bobolinks and grasshopper and Henslow's sparrows.

Members of the public are invited to this free program. The annual meeting will be held at Memorial Hall, 10308 Main St. in Richmond.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for networking and refreshments with the program to begin at 7 p.m.

The Friends will also present its annual Tamarack Award to Openlands that evening. Founded in 1963, Openlands is one of the nation's oldest metropolitan conservation organizations. Openlands has been a steadfast partner with the Friends group in advocating for and helping to grow Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.

Openlands was instrumental in conveying the first 12-acre easement to the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service that established the refuge seven years ago. Their ongoing efforts on behalf of Hackmatack NWR include land conservation, stewardship and the development of public access to refuge lands.

Jim Herkert is the executive director of the Illinois Audubon Society, a position he has held since 2016.

The Society is Illinois' oldest conservation organization. Prior to joining Illinois Audubon, he worked for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board.

Herkert received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois-Champaign (Department of Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution). He is a Fellow in the American Ornithological Society and has written over 70 publications, with most of these focused on the conservation and management of grassland birds.

The mission of Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge is to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural resources, rural character and scenic beauty of the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and to connect people to these resources. More information can be found at hackmatacknwr.org.

Questions? Leave a message for Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge at (262) 448-3558, and someone will call you right back.