Suit Asserts Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals Failed to Comply with Legal Requirements in Permit Review Process Springfield, IL – On December 12th, the Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, and Openlands filed a complaint in Circuit Court in Springfield, Illinois demanding judicial review of a massive open pit silica sand […]
Riverside Habitat
Press Release: Illinois DNR Grants Permit To Controversial Starved Rock Open Pit Mine
Park Advocates Vow To Continue Fight to Protect “One of Illinois’ Most Special Places” The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals (IDNR – OMM) has given the go-ahead to a controversial open pit mine next to Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, despite objections from local residents and thousands of […]
Otters are making a big comeback in Illinois!
Today, thanks to diligent, long-term work to reduce pollution, protect wooded areas, and restore land along water bodies, the playful and very photogenic river otter is making a big comeback in Illinois! Watch this mother river otter as she pulls out onto bank to call for pups, Middle Fork of the Vermilion River (Wabash basin), […]
Wildlife Habitat in Illinois
Healthy land makes for healthier, cleaner water! Wetlands, forests, and prairies help control flooding, filter pollution, prevent sediment from being washed downstream, and provide critical habitat for our state’s wildlife. Prairie Rivers Network’s habitat specialist, Elliot Brinkman, works with private landowners, public land agencies, land trusts, and others to expand and connect the patchwork of […]
Rivers are not private dumping grounds!
Prairie Rivers Network has joined a federal lawsuit filed by the Quad Cities Waterkeeper against Ballegeer Trucking and Excavating for outrageous and unlawful acts against the Green River. For years, Ballegeer has been dumping huge slabs of concrete on the banks of the Green River in Henry County close to where the Green joins the Rock River. […]