Kanner appointed to Illinois Legacy Tree Task Force

Statewide Conservation Organization Director Appointed to Illinois Legacy Tree Task Force

Governor J.B. Pritzker has named the executive director of Prairie State Conservation Coalition (PSCC) to the Legacy Tree Program Task Force which will identify, preserve, and create awareness of significant trees in the state.
 
Cynthia Kanner, a McHenry County resident, joins other members from the  conservation community to promote an awareness of the importance of trees to the ecological health of the planet. 
 
“I am excited to work with the Legacy Tree Task Force to continue to preserve these trees on protected lands,” Kanner said. “Trees are the lungs of our planet, the stabilizing force of soil, the holder of life even in death. I am truly grateful for trees.”
 
The Kanner home in Algonquin was purchased because of the 11 Bur Oak trees on the sloping property. She is a native plant gardener which helps the soil surrounding the trees to extend their lives. Kanner even plans trips around visiting Legacy and Champion trees. 
 
Among the purposes listed as part of the Legacy Tree Task Force (Public Act 103-0863) is promoting an awareness that trees are important to species diversity, food webs, habitats, and ecological processes such as water and air purification. This task force shows a commitment by the state to preserve Illinois’s heritage trees and support for the development of pathways for the public to also advocate to preserve these trees in their communities. 
 
The Task Force will meet on a quarterly basis and is tasked with submitting a report to the General Assembly no later than June 30, 2028.
– more –
Prairie State Conservation Coalition is a nonprofit membership association of land conservation organizations – including conservation land trusts, land conservancies, forest preserves, conservation districts, watershed groups, and others. 
 
The Prairie State Conservation Fund was created in 2024 when PSCC was awarded a $47 million grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. The grant is established as a natural areas grant program to support projects and programs intended to preserve or enhance natural habitats and wildlife areas in Illinois.