We are here to assist residents, landowners, and businesses
in Kane and DuPage Counties
in Illinois

Board Meetings

Next Meeting:
Thursday, Jan 9, 2025

7 am      INFO
Forms & Fees Page

Find forms for:

Aerial Photo Order
Natural Resource Inventory (NRI)
SESC Application Form & Fees
USDA Farmed Wetland (Swampbuster) Map Request

Envirothon 2025
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Morton Arboretum


Team registration deadline has passed.
We welcome sponsors -- details  HERE

For 2024: Adlai Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire) won first place in the Northeastern Illinois Envirothon, first place in the Illinois state competition,  and 5th in the National 2024 Envirothon Competition  


Our latest Forever Green Newsletter: 
 
2024 - ISSUE 8

Illinois 2025 Budget Slashes SWCD Funding

The 103rd General Assembly of Illinois has finalized the FY25 budget. Sadly, this budget was signed into law with a roughly 48% decrease in SWCD operational funding. Soil and Water Conservation District directors, staff and stakeholders will continue to strive to elevate the message across the state that will ensure that Illinois puts in motion the essential efforts to meet objectives of the nutrient loss reduction strategies (NLRS), achieve grassroots conservation essential to protect the states vital natural resources and raise the bar of climate resiliency across the state. SWCD team members are committed to serving their constituents in agriculture, urban development, watersheds and more. We are mandated by the Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Act
to provide technical information on soil and water conservation, and our teams passionately pursue that assignment. We will find a path forward to ensure that the state’s essential Soil and Water Conservation Districts remain on the frontlines in protecting the state’s most vital natural resources…soil and water.

What we provide:

Soil Erosion & Sediment Control Programs

Provide information, consultation and reviews for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control.

Land Use & Natural Resource Information

Reports provide natural resource information needed for zoning decisions. Aerial photos are available.

Sales

We offer: 
Books; seasonal sales for plants, trees and fish


Education

A variety of outreach programs for K-12 classrooms and
 Scout groups are offered by SWCD staff. 

Annual Stewardship Poster & Photo Contests
2024 winners!

Emily Lubek

Soil and Water Stewardship Scholarship

Congratulations to the 2024 recipient of the Soil and Water Stewardship Scholarship ~ Emily Lubek!

Emily is a Senior at Naperville Central High School and will be attending University of Colorado at Boulder, studying Environmental Science. She loves gardening, hiking and conducting her own scientific experiments. She also spends a significant amount of her time volunteering at area clean-ups and at the Humane Society.

"Thank you so much for selecting me for this scholarship! I am so happy and appreciative of this decision and your generosity. I plan to receive my Masters Degree in Environmental Science and help the efforts of conservation of the earth, with a career goal of being a consultant advisor on environmental issues regarding waste emissions, water quality and sustainability," Emily said.

The Soil and Water Stewardship Scholarship seeks to provide financial support to students enrolled full-time at an accredited two- or four-year community college, college, or university, which will lead to a career in a natural resource field.

Funding for this scholarship was made available from the Leopold Education Project, an educational program based on the works of noted conservationist and author Aldo Leopold. Leopold’s philosophy and land ethic created a foundation for modern conservation.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to support residents’ quality of life by leading efforts to ensure healthy soil, clean water, sustainable land development and regenerative agriculture.
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