We save land.
We save rivers.

The support of more than 5,000 members and 500 volunteers helps us carry out our mission to improve the health of our communities by preserving and restoring open space and natural lands, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of our environment in northeastern Illinois. We focus our work in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will Counties where we have helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, and we also go where we are needed in LaSalle, DeKalb, and Grundy Counties.
The support of more than 5,000 members and 500 volunteers helps us carry out our mission to improve the health of our communities by preserving and restoring open space and natural lands, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of our environment in northeastern Illinois. We focus our work in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties where we have helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, and we also go where we are needed in LaSalle, DeKalb and Grundy Counties.
Nature-Based Solutions: Brought to You by The Conservation Foundation
Continue reading "Nature-Based Solutions: Brought to You by The Conservation Foundation"
Raise a Glass to Clean Water
10 Years of the Dayton Bluffs Preserve
Visit our Farm Stand Thursday Afternoons this Summer!
Continue reading "Visit our Farm Stand Thursday Afternoons this Summer!"
About Us
Simply put, we save land and we save rivers, and we’ve been at it for more than 50 years. Founded in 1972, The Conservation Foundation is one of the region’s oldest and largest not-for-profit land and watershed conservation organizations dedicated to preserving and restoring open space, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of the environment in northeastern Illinois.
We believe…
every person, regardless of where they live or their social-economic status, deserves clean water, clean air, and safe access to nature as a way to be healthy and happy.
the conservation foundation
In Your Neighborhood
Events













The Conservation Foundation’s Green Earth Harvest is an all-organic farming operation that provides healthy, organic vegetables to the community through the sale of “shares.” When you become a Green Earth Harvest shareholder, you are essentially purchasing a portion of the harvest. You’ll come to McDonald Farm in Naperville (or one of our remote pickup locations) every week or every other week and pick up your produce.
latest news & Articles
Rain Barrels & Composters
There are many small steps we can all take to make a difference in our communities. Making changes in the way we use water and manage our households means cleaner water and healthier streams. Simple, efficient, and low-cost methods include rain barrels and composters.
Conservation Stories

Raise a Glass to Clean Water
A community is healthiest when all of its parts take care of each other. And thanks to Stockholm’s Restaurant & Brewpub, Geneva and the entire Fox River Valley are getting

10 Years of the Dayton Bluffs Preserve
A little over 10 years ago, we received a phone call from a longtime member who knew our passion for saving open space, particularly in Kendall and LaSalle Counties. They

Reclaiming Land For Nature: Harper’s Farm in Ottawa
When our Vice President of Land & Water Conservation Programs Dan Lobbes describes our newest land preservation acquisition as “lumpy and bumpy,” he means it both literally and figuratively. The

Remembering Nancy Hopp, Vice Chair
“Nancy just seemed bigger than life and that she would live forever,” said our President/CEO Brook McDonald of Nancy Hopp, lifelong Aurora resident and Vice Chair of The Conservation Foundation’s
Shop the Rookery
Show your love for nature and our mission to preserve and restore it by purchasing these quality products for yourself or to give as gifts with purpose. A portion of your purchase will directly support our work to preserve and restore open space and natural lands, protect rivers and watersheds and promote stewardship of the environment.
