About Us

The Shawnee RC&D Area, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving the southern 16 counties of Illinois. Our mission is to provide local leadership and the framework required to develop and carry out a plan of action for the conservation, development, and wise use of the resources within the RC&D area. For the past 43 years our focus has been conservation and economic development related to the natural resource base – the landscape that serves as the basis and backdrop for quality living in Southern Illinois.

The Shawnee is one of 375 locally sponsored, federally authorized RC&D Areas designated by the Secretary of Agriculture to receive technical and financial assistance program funds through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. RC&D Areas are governed by volunteer Councils and assisted by a federal Coordinator provided through an agreement with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Shawnee RC&D Council is currently made up of appointed representatives from 16 County Boards, 14 Soil & Water Conservation Districts, four River Conservancy Districts and several at-large members who have been elected to the Council. The area includes Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Perry, and Jefferson Counties.

Our current major program initiatives include:

River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area

Cache River Wetlands Restoration

Sustainable Living Expo – October 8-9, 2010, at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in Pope County. Click on the Expo tab for more information!

Together these efforts demonstrate how the Shawnee RC&D is a catalyst for and incubator of innovative approaches to conservation and community development. We strive to find and bring financial, technical and human capital to bear on our region’s most pressing natural resource concerns and promising opportunities – protecting native habitats, supporting productive farmlands, creating jobs, enhancing local economies and improving the quality of life for all of our citizens.