Few people today have glimpsed true Illinois: the unbroken land that first met the eyes of European settlers 150 years ago. But stand in a cemetery prairie and you might find yourself experiencing a portal through time.
In cooperation with many agencies, Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves have readied tools, plans, and authorizations to do the “eco first aid” that will save these areas from loss by neglect. Friends are launching a month-long marathon of cemetery prairie eco-restoration workdays across the northern half of the state to care for these irreplaceable sites.

Calling all nature lovers, action-takers, people who like to work together to make change: all are invited to cut brush that shades out prairie plants and ready the site for a controlled burn.