The Embarras Volunteer Stewards began in 1994 to help public and private land owners in their efforts to preserve and restore native prairie and woodland sites. We are people from all walks of life who work under the guidance of biologists. We give about 40 Saturday mornings a year to help in small ways so that Illinois will not lose the rest of its precious natural heritage, of which less than .07% remains to us today. We do monitoring, seed collecting, exotic species control, controlled burns, tree planting, seeding, trail maintenance, tours, talks and slide presentations, and butterfly monitoring. Workdays and tours last about two hours, and are announced in our Fall, Spring, and Summer newsletters.

Everyone is welcome at workdays and tours. There are no dues or other obligations. Come as often as you like, to work or just observe and encourage. We learn more on every excursion about our natural surroundings and how to preserve them.The Embarras Volunteer Stewards are affiliated with The Nature Conservancy's Volunteer Stewardship Network. The VSN supports over 70 volunteer groups in Illinois, made up of some 5,000 volunteers who help maintain over 300 natural areas containing prairies, wetlands, savannas and woodlands.

For more information, contact:
Larry Thorsen: 217-345-6476
Email: thors@cmecwildblue.com

Where We Help

• Our area includes seven couties: Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie, and Shelby
• Baber Woods Nature Preserve
• Burgner Acres Nature Preserve
• Coneflower Hill Prairie
• Douglas-Hart Nature Center
• Fox Ridge State Park
• James Nance Woods
• Lafferty Nature Study Center
• Lincoln Prairie Grass Bike Trail
• Neoga Prairie Remnant
• Rocky Branch Nature Preserve
• Walnut Point State Park
• Waterworks Hill Prairie
• Woodyard Memorial Conservation Area
• Privately Owned Prairie and Woodland Sites