Grant preserves forest near Funks Grove

The forest that lies near the Route 66 settlement of Funks Grove, Ill., is mostly unchanged since the Funk family settled there in 1824.

Thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, that forest grove will remain pristine. The Sugar Grove Foundation in Funks Grove was able to buy 476 acres of the old-growth land and beef up its land holdings, reports the Peoria Journal-Star.

In the midst of the trees and prairie grasses, the Sugar Grove Foundation operates the Sugar Grove Nature Center, a year-round facility for nature education. The center offers family activities, including hands-on nature exhibits, field trips and classes for children, guided walks through more than five miles of prairie trails, and workshops for adults, as well as a public astronomy observatory and a variety of gardens that produce plants native to Illinois. […]

With the help of the grant used to acquire newly protected land, Angela Smith, director of the Sugar Grove Nature Center, said she hopes to continue the 182-year land preservation commitment established by the Funk and Stubblefield families who founded Funks Grove and continue their efforts today. […]

The Funks Grove land already contains four dedicated nature preserves and has been designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior.

Funks Grove is also home to Funks Grove Maple Sirup, which is harvested from sap from the native maple trees there. The Funks also make maple leaf candy, truffles and maple cream.