Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation

Preserving Land — Now & Forever

Your help is needed! Volunteerism helps people and the environment!

The Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation depends upon volunteers who give their time to many different projects! Our devoted volunteers are crucial to accomplishing the mission of our organization. From all of us here at the Foundation, thank you to those who offer your time and talents. To those who are ready to join... welcome to the family!

Help us steward our conservation easements and JDCF-owned properties.

JDCF currently owns several properties available to the public for outdoor recreation. These sites vary from open prairies with marked hiking trails to forested bluffs with rough foot paths. To keep these beautiful properties open, enthusiastic volunteers help to clean up trails, maintain signage, inventory birds and plants, take care of trees, and control invasive species. Stewardship volunteers also perform garbage clean ups, seed plantings and shelter maintenance. If you like getting your hands dirty and love the outdoors, volunteering at one of our scenic properties is a good fit for you!

In 2009 JDCF began developing a volunteer monitoring program, piloted by volunteer monitor, Bob Rivoire. The new program is seeking more volunteers that will go through training, be accompanied by JDCF staff for a first time visit, and then monitor the site for a minimum of two or three years.

The visits are to document any change to the protected land, maintain relationship with conservation easement landowners, and document management plan activities at JDCF-owned properties. As a benefit the volunteers get to see some amazing pieces of Jo Daviess County, and at the same time ensure the long term preservation of property JDCF has conserved. An additional benefit is the volunteers enable JDCF staff to spend more time working on new conservation easement and stewarding JDCF-owned properties.