Thanks to a successful fundraising campaign, a rare hill prairie in rural Monroe County will be saved. 

Since 1989, HeartLands Conservancy has been a catalyst for transformative change and resilience for the lands, waters, heritage, and communities in southern Illinois.

Earlier this summer, HeartLands Conservancy announced a campaign for the 15-acre Trout Hollow Hill Prairie located at Trout Hollow Road between Bluff Road and D Road, about one mile north of Salt Lick Point Land and Water Reserve in Valmeyer and about two miles south of the Eagle Cliff Prairie (Miles Cemetery) Nature Preserve near Waterloo. 

Less than 1 percent of Illinois’ prairies still exist – and only 600 acres of hill prairies like Trout Hollow Hill Prairie remain. 

HeartLands Conservancy said the property was being offered for sale by a family who gave the organization until Aug. 30 to raise funds. An anonymous donor offered to match donations to save the prairie, up to half the purchase price. 

The purchase price for the hill prairie was $150,000, not counting closing costs, legal and title expenses, and the necessary staff time associated with preserving the property. Thus, Heartlands Conservancy set a goal of $175,000. 

Over the weekend, the group announced that the goal had been reached. In total, $178,694 has been raised. 

Any funds raised over the goal amount will be used for future restoration, management, stewardship, access, and implementation costs associated with the project, HeartLands Conservancy said.

“HeartLands Conservancy currently intends to own and protect the property forever (name to be determined),” the group stated on its website. “In the future, it may make sense to transfer ownership or stewardship of the property to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources or another conservation land trust in the area. Our immediate goal, however, is to protect the land. We also plan to work on providing public access to the prairie and beautiful view from atop the bluffs in the future.”

For more information on HeartLands Conservancy, visit heartlandsconservancy.org.