Home Invasives Our Work Against Invasives

Our Work Against Invasives

We work better together

Across the state, Illinois Extension works with local communities to remove invasive species and restore natural areas. Across the country, Illinois collaborates with a network of universities and Extension organizations to monitor, research, and manage invasive species. 

Staff provide consultations and programs for landowners and managers and early response to invasions.

Master Gardener and Master Naturalists lead invasive species removal days and restoration.

In Southern Illinois, volunteers removed 1,715 pounds of garlic mustard from three sites and 3,851 autumn olive trees at Gardens of the Gods. A partnership between volunteers, Extension foresters, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led to the identification and removal of Japanese honeysuckle at Carlyle Lake. 

Master Naturalists   Master Gardeners

4-H member projects support invasive prevention. 

You can make a difference. 

The Illinois Extension Master Naturalist Program provides science-based educational training and connect peoples with nature to help them become engaged environmental stewards.

The program educates and trains adult volunteers so they are better equipped to share natural resource information with others in their communities and to assist with environmental conservation and restoration activities. We all have a responsibility to protect the natural resources in the places where we live in order to ensure our world is fit for the future. University of Illinois Extension partners with local agencies to accomplish the Master Naturalist mission.

Become a Master Naturalist

News

Portrait of the researchers standing in front of a map of Illinois with tick species indicated on the map.
New study reinforces the need for year-round tick awareness in Illinois
URBANA, Ill — A new study has reported a “dramatic growth” in the number of human cases of tick-borne disease between 2004 and 2022. The University of Illinois study also found that tick-borne diseases were reported in every month of the year and in every Illinois county, underscoring the...
A field of crops, the Morrow Plot, on the U of I campus
Defining the modern ‘land-grant mission’ at ACES
The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign often cites its land-grant legacy, but the land-grant university system is not a well-known...
A small tick is visible on a human hand
Tick concerns are growing: What Illinois residents need to know
URBANA, Ill. — For some residents, a walk through a park or an afternoon in the backyard brings a new level of anxiety thanks to growing concerns about ticks and the diseases they carry. This fear can lead people to limit outdoor activity out of concern that they may be bitten. As reports of...