SR0775 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0775 LRB104 21800 LAW 37506 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to congratulate Severson Dells Nature Center on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, Severson Dells Nature Center was established in 1975 when the Harry and Fannie Severson family donated 369 acres of Midwest prairie and oak savannas to the Winnebago County Forest Preserves with the intention that the land be used for nature education, particularly for children; and

WHEREAS, Severson Dells Nature Center serves over 13,000 people each year with hands-on, science-based activities designed to inspire a love of nature that leads to a sense of stewardship for the environment; and

WHEREAS, Connecting people and place, Severson Dells Nature Center offers field trips and camps for children, STEM programming for families, and hikes, public programming, and conservation opportunities for adults; and

WHEREAS, Severson Dells Nature Center hosts a robust AmeriCorps program that teaches AmeriCorps members about environmental education and community advocacy and prepares them for postgraduate education and employment; and

WHEREAS, Severson Dells Nature Center purchased a 168-acre shuttered golf course from the Rockford Park District in 2024, and the nature center has begun a three-year restoration and rewilding of the property with the goal of creating an urban nature preserve to serve the east side of Rockford, which will become one of the few preserves accessible by public transportation in Rockford; and

WHEREAS, Through rewilding the golf course, Severson Dells Nature Center intends to achieve a number of positive environmental impacts, including increased carbon sequestration, storm water management, and neutralization of urban heat islands; and

WHEREAS, Severson Dells Nature Center will observe its 50th anniversary from June 26 to June 27, 2026; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Severson Dells Nature Center on achieving its 50th anniversary, and we thank the nature center for its continued commitment to preserving nature through environmental stewardship and providing nature education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Severson Dells Nature Center as an expression of our esteem and respect.