(525 ILCS 31/5)

Sec. 5. Legislative findings and statement of public policy.

(a) The General Assembly finds that:

(1) The Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act defines natural areas and creates the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission to preserve the highest quality natural areas in perpetuity to sustain for the people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of natural areas, including the elements of natural diversity present.

(2) The Natural Areas Acquisition Fund, established in the Open Lands Acquisition and Development Act, shall be used by the Department of Natural Resources for the acquisition, preservation, and stewardship of natural areas, including habitats for endangered and threatened species, high quality natural communities, wetlands, and other areas with unique or unusual natural heritage qualities.

(3) The condition of dedicated and registered sites tends to degrade over time without stewardship actions. Once degraded, the public's significant investment is devalued and these natural areas provide reduced benefit to the people of present and future generations.

(4) Conservation land trusts have experience managing natural areas in order to counter the constant and increasing pressures exerted on conservation lands by ecological succession, habitat fragmentation, hydrological alteration, pollution, encroachment by invasive and exotic species, and criminal trespass.

(5) This Act and the powers afforded to the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission are desirable to guide and preserve the highest quality natural areas in perpetuity.

(b) It is the purpose of this Act to:

(1) increase stewardship by providing stewardship grants to conservation land trusts to help perform stewardship actions on eligible lands; and

(2) to enhance stewardship capacity within conservation land trusts in local areas.

(Source: P.A. 100-420, eff. 8-25-17.)