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Spring Creek Preserve: Dealing with the invasive plant problem

February 18, 2026

By Mike McGraw, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesSpring Creek Preserve, located in Tazewell County, is a park of the East Peoria Fondulac Park District. Of its 344 acres, 236 have been designated as an Illinois Land and Water Preserve....

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Conservation@Home Member Spotlight: Joyce and Gordon Wassell

February 18, 2026

By Megan Todd, Extension Master Gardener, Serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesDriving up the street in a Morton subdivision searching for the home of new Conservation@Home members Gordon and Joyce Wassell, one needs no house number to know which place is theirs. All...

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Conservation@Home Member Spotlight: Lynda Sharp-Lower

February 18, 2026

By Sarah Smith, Master Gardener and Naturalist, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesIn 2018, Lynda and her husband Jeff moved into their current home and set to work on taking care of their almost 2-acre property that sits on a small lake, surrounded by other homes. Encouraged by...

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Elwood Wildlife Preserve creates a long-lasting ecosystem for wildlife

February 18, 2026

By Ed Coleman, Extension Master Naturalist, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesIn 2020, the family members of the John Elwood and Mary Elwood Trust donated a 75.5 acre tract of land in Peoria County to the Prairie Land Conservancy, a land trust. Five acres of this was...

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a bird getting ready to eat from a frozen bird seed wreathe

Choose the right feeder and seed for birds in the winter

February 2, 2026

By Jennifer Bass, Extension Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, and Conservation@Home member serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesOn Sundays, when the grand kids arrive, they often check whether the bird feeders are full and hurry to fill them with seed for our feathered...

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Celebrating Hot Chocolate Day

January 28, 2026

Hot Chocolate Day is January 31, inviting us to appreciate the plants and traditions that make this beverage possible. While hot chocolate feels like a simple winter comfort, its story includes an array of flavorful plants starting with chocolate and adding herbs and spices.Hot cocoa and hot...

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Celebrate National Popcorn Day with locally grown Illinois popcorn

January 16, 2026

Popcorn is one of those simple joys that connects agriculture with snacking. In honor of National Popcorn Day on January 19, it's the perfect time to celebrate one of Illinois' tastiest agricultural products.Illinois: Home of the Nation's Top Popcorn CountyMason County, Illinois, has long been...

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Creating our blueberry garden bed

October 24, 2025

By Cathy Endress, Extension Master Gardener, serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell countiesWhat started as a landscaping project, ended up becoming a blueberry patch! We installed solar panels several years ago in the back of our three-acre lot. Because we wanted to...

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Top 10 pursuits to fall in love with winter

October 23, 2025

By Jill Meints, Extension Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties1. RestJust like with our gardens & plants, it can be our season of REST! Read on for ideas on how to embrace the season! 2. Clean out your pantry and organize it. You may have things...

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Poison Ivy: A friend to deer and bird, a foe to many humans

September 8, 2025

By Jennifer Bass, Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist serving Fulton, Mason, Peoria and Tazewell countiesI love my yard with all of the trees, the wilder areas behind my home, and the small prairie plot in the small sunny patch in the front of my house. But, I am...

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