Science Program Fundraising Challenge

Friends of Nachusa Grasslands has been offered a generous challenge grant of $20,000!  But in order to secure this grant, we must raise $20,000 by December 31, 2018.  We need your help!  Our mission to promote and foster scientific endeavor at Nachusa Grasslands is more important today than ever.  Saving these rare and threatened ecosystems requires leading-edge science to improve and direct our restoration efforts, but it is often difficult for our researchers to find the funding they need.  Join us in advancing critical research and grassland restoration by donating to our research program today!

Research Program Highlights

• $124,000 awarded to 43 different researchers from 11 universities to conduct research at Nachusa Grasslands in the last 8 years
• In 2011, our first awards gave $1,000 to 2 researchers.  In 2018 Friends granted $40,000 to 15 researchers
• More than 50% of awards have supported female scientists

​Who We Fund & What They Study

• Friends has stayed local by supporting 25 research projects from Northern Illinois University, but our reach extends nationally, having funded Master’s and PhD students, university professors, post-docs and independent scholars from as far as Maryland and North Carolina and even internationally to Ontario, Canada
• Your support allows for research to study bison impacts on soil microbial communities, grassland bird nesting success, small mammal abundance, bee diversity, dung beetle populations, stream water quality and many other facets of the prairie
• With your support, we fund research to study rare species: state-endangered Blanding’s turtles, state-threatened ornate box turtles, state-endangered downy yellow painted cup and the state-threatened/federally-endangered prairie bush clover​​

Show your commitment to Nachusa Grasslands by supporting the researchers and scientists who each year learn and discover fascinating surprises about the plants, animals and landscape that we love.  Give today!