May Shared Offering: Prairie Rivers Network

During the month of May, half of all cash and designated checks collected at the Sunday offering will go to Prairie Rivers Network, a non-profit organization based in Champaign that advocates for clean water and healthy rivers in Illinois. Prairie Rivers Network champions clean, healthy rivers and safe drinking water to benefit the people and wildlife of Illinois. Drawing upon sound science and working cooperatively with others, we advocate public policies and cultural values that sustain the health and diversity of Illinois’ water resources. Started in 1967 as the Committee on Allerton Park to stop a dam that would have flooded the beloved park, Prairie Rivers Network has a 45-year record of making a difference in Illinois. Prairie Rivers Network is an Illinois’ registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and the independent Illinois affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. Prairie Rivers Network aims to address the most pressing clean water issues: industrial pollution, polluted runoff from cropland, and the unwise destruction of wetlands and other riverside natural areas that slow floodwaters and provide homes for wildlife and plants. One of PRN’s local projects is to press for responsible closure of the Vermilion Power Plant, an aging coal-fired power plant that was recently retired. The land will likely end up in the hands of the state, enlarging the oasis of natural areas along the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River that is anchored by Kickapoo State Park and Kennekuk County Park. So that taxpayers aren’t left with a mess on our hands, Prairie Rivers Network is asking state regulators to require a thorough cleanup of the site, especially of toxic coal ash dumps in the Middle Fork’s floodplain. This is our state’s only National Scenic River! We must do this right and set a standard for responsible coal plant retirement for the rest of Illinois. From helping to organize the first Boneyard Creek clean-up in Champaign-Urbana, to restoration efforts along the great Mississippi River, to working on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp - Prairie Rivers Network is making Illinois a better place to live. For more information about Prairie Rivers Network, check out their website at prairierivers.org.