Hill Prairie Corridor-North Section

Protected lands - Fults Hill Prairie Nature Preserve, Pine Hills Annex Hill Prairie, PineyCreek Ravine Nature Preserve, several privately-owned land & water reserves, nature preserves, and natural heritage landmarks

Priority resources - hill prairies and associated species

Conservation philosophy - restore, maintain and protect the fragmented hill prairies that exist on these areas to prevent their closing in by woody encroachment; protect and proactively manage for the unique flora and fauna native to these blufftop ecosystems; use sound management decisions guided by historical conditions

Objectives - expand boundaries of hill prairies to historical extent; enroll unprotected hill prairies and critical habitats for endangered/threatened species into long term protection plans; generate funding for biologist positions to provide personnel needed to proactively manage these blufftop communities
Priority actions - use prescribed burning to manage the fire climax communities of hill prairies, glades, barrens, and upland forests; permanent protection of available parcels of high quality community types; create connection of the hill prairies system along the Mississippi River bluffs from Dupo to Prairie du Rocher

Partners - Illinois Department of Natural Resources, blufftop protection groups

Conservation resources - C2000 grants, Wildlife Preservation Fund, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Natural Areas Acquisition Fund

Research, monitoring & evaluation - research and management can be conducted by Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses), Southwest Illinois College, and the Illinois Natural History Survey

Hill Prairie Corridor-North Section