Habitat Strike Team

The Southern Illinois Habitat Strike Team (HST) was created in 2015 with an agreement between National Great Rivers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. At first, HST focused on private lands enrolled in IDNR’s Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP), which incentivizes landowners to allow public recreational activities on their property. Since 2019, HST has diversified its funding and now works on public IDNR sites and also IDNR Nature Preserves which are typically unique and of high quality. We have also developed partnerships with the Great Rivers Land Trust, The Nature Institute and the Lewis and Clark Foundation Board.

The HST typically works within a 90-mile radius of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center and coordinates with IRAP and IDNR Division of Natural Heritage to eradicate invasive species like bush honeysuckle. HST also assists with timber stand improvement, planting native seedlings and administering prescribed burns on private and public properties, including Pere Marquette State Park. These practices help improve ecosystem health, promoting the growth and reproduction of native plant communities and restoring habitats to their native state.

In addition to habitat management, HST provides many opportunities for students to learn about restoration practices, management techniques, and the ecology of our native ecosystems. Interns can conduct research side by side with HST, learning research techniques while also informing conservation practices being implemented. Students enrolled in the Restoration Ecology program at Lewis and Clark Community College can work as Junior Strike Team members during the summer when they learn and gain practical experience with restoration practices, management techniques and the ecology of our native ecosystems.