Michael Redmer

The Chicago Ecological Services Field Office has established a partnership that includes the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will County Forest Preserve Districts, The Nature Conservancy; Fox Valley Land Foundation, and species experts from the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago State University, Illinois College, and the Morton Arboretum. 

Each year members of these groups meet to discuss and plan recovery efforts for the federally threatened eastern prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea) in Illinois. 

Topics of these meetings include recent research that has been conducted, results of field data collected the previous field season by volunteers, planning of recovery activities for the upcoming field season, and funding sources to accomplish recovery goals.

In recent years, the number of organizations and individuals that participate in eastern prairie fringed orchid recovery and the annual meeting has grown. 

These stakeholders have professional interest in the species and have adopted a personal interest in the recovery of the eastern prairie fringed orchid. 

Those who attend the meetings do much more than their assigned responsibilities require.  They attend training sessions, meetings, and conduct fieldwork in the evening and on the weekends.  But most of all, their positive attitude toward this recovery program has encouraged others in and out of their organizations to support the program and become involved.

Not only has the number of participants in eastern prairie fringed orchid recovery grown in Illinois, but so has the geographic area that the group is focusing on.  Originally the group concentrated on the Northeastern Illinois counties that the Chicago Filed Office is responsible for.  However, in the last couple of years the group has focused attention on the recovery goals for the species in Illinois set in the recovery plan, which includes the northern half of the state.