Illinois Wildlife Action Plan

The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board may consider adding a species to the list of endangered and threatened species using criteria relevant to a species’ status, including: the species is formally widespread but now is nearly extirpated from the state, exhibits a very restricted geographic range that Illinois is a part of, is in low populations or exhibits restricted habitats in the state, or that is significant disjuncts in Illinois. Every species that is Federally threatened or endangered and occurs within the state automatically qualifies. Requirements for removing a species from the list include: the species is extirpated from Illinois, more common than previously thought, and those recovered from endangerment. Any person may petition to the Endangered Species Protection Board to add to the list, remove from the list, or change the status of a species. Petitions can be found on the Endangered Species Protection Board website (see link below). The Barn Owl (Tyto alba; see photo) was initially listed as endangered in 1977. In 2015 the rank was downgraded to threatened and in 2020, was delisted due to the recovery of the species.

Link:https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/espb/documents/et-list-review-and-revision/espb-petition-forms.pdf

Most threatened and endangered (T&E) species occurrence records are gathered during the growing season, but reporting those records often occurs in winter months. IDNR receives T&E records from staff, partners, and Illinois citizens and curates those records in the IDNR Natural Heritage Database. T&E records are used to assess species conservation status, inform regulatory decisions, and prioritize conservation actions. Reporting these sightings can be very beneficial to the conservation and protection of these species, if you have seen one or multiple of these listed species at any time throughout the year, you can submit an online report to the IDNR (see link below).

Link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/edcd8227df4e4fc0ad5582255ee9a69f?

Global declines in insects are primarily due to habitat loss and pollution, with aquatic insect groups being particularly threatened. The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are a relatively well-known and charismatic group of aquatic insects with an amateur naturalist following. They play key functional roles both within terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and across terrestrial-aquatic boundaries. More research is needed to understand the patterns and processes of odonate distributions, rarity, and vulnerability.

SWG Project T-132 will focus on assessing the conservation status of odonates in Illinois based on species, geography, and historical record. Focusing specifically on data-deficient species can lead to targeted management that may benefit multiple at-risk species across taxonomic classifications.

For more information on SWG Project T-132: https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/iwap/t-132-r1-status-assessment-of-odonates-in-illinois-.html