At a time when the Biden administration has set a lofty goal of vastly increasing the amount of land and water set aside for conservation, many of Chicago’s leading conservationists have left or will soon leave their posts.
As the new year starts, it is a time for everyone who values conservation to step up and ensure Illinois makes progress on protecting land and water.
The Biden administration’s “30 by 30” goal calls for conserving and protecting 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030.
But in Illinois, any gains will have to be achieved without some of the leaders who have piloted the state’s conservation efforts in past years or decades. At least eight top leaders have recently left their posts or will do so in 2024.
“It’s a huge transition,” Jerry Adelmann, who retired in November after 35 years as president and CEO of the conservation group Openlands, told us. “It underscores the importance of building a next generation and ensuring our younger people are attracted to this field.”
Adelmann led numerous initiatives, from helping create the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor to helping preserve the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
Others who have left or plan to leave include:
- John Rogner, the highly respected assistant director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who left on Dec. 31 after 14 years. The DNR has been trying to rebuild itself over the past several years, but its staffing is not what it was. A replacement has not been named. Conservationists are hoping it will be someone who matches Rogner’s commitment to the environment.
- Arnold Randall, who is leaving the job of general superintendent of the Forest Preserves of Cook County after 13 years to become the executive director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. The county should use a national search to replace Randall. A top-notch person like him is needed as the district prepares to allocate revenue from a referendum passed in 2022 that will bring in more than $40 million more a year. Years of reform could be reversed quickly if the forest preserve district puts the wrong person in charge.
- Lydia Scott, the director of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the urban tree canopy, has retired after 12 years effective Jan. 1. The tree initiative developed a master plan in 2019 to inspire people to value trees, improve the region’s tree canopy, reduce threats to trees and enhance oak ecosystems.
- Michelle Carr, the Illinois state director for the Nature Conservancy for 10 years, will move in 2024 to an investment fund focused on clean energy. The conservancy works to protect prairies, oak savannas and forests.
- Ellen Alberding, president and CEO of The Joyce Foundation, a leading funder of Great Lakes preservation, has announced her intention to step down in 2024 after 21 years in the job.
- Juanita Irizarry ended her eight-year run on Dec. 31 as executive director of the Friends of the Parks. The Friends of the Parks works to protect the city’s parkland.
- Also on Dec. 31, David Farren retired after 11 years as executive director of the Donnelley Foundation, which supports efforts to protect and restore fragile natural areas. He is being replaced by Randall.
Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said the leadership in Illinois’ conservation community has grown much stronger over the past 20 years. Organizations will have to tap into what is now a deeper bench to find the right new leaders, he said.
Josh Mogerman, spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told us the departing leaders had “a lot of knowledge about the issues and how to get things done, and that takes time. These things are happening at a critical moment.”
Voters, meanwhile, should aid conservation efforts by continuing to send politicians at every level the message that conservation and improving Illinois’ and the nation’s environment is a priority.
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