Ozark Koala Ecosystem Services

06/05/2026

Another few weeks of native species our team of 'possums found! 🦋🍄🌿

05/22/2026

Have we mentioned how lucky we are to have the best crew of 'possums? Not only do they work long hours treating invasive species and restoring natural areas but they also love nature and even on their days off find native species while enjoying the outdoors in Southern Illinois. Check out these recent finds from our amazing crew while working and in their free time!🌿🌻

05/04/2026

This is absolutely wonderful news, especially for this unique and sensitive area! 🌸🐝

Congratulations and a huge thank you to Clifftop, Illinois Audubon Society, and The Conservation Fund for making this happen!! The native plants and animals are going to thrive in this corridor of protected habitat!🍃🍄🌼

Land Acquisition News - Decades of visioning creates 2,300-acre corridor of protected habitat - https://mailchi.mp/illinoisaudubon/whiterock-10141064

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! 🌎💚💙

We have only one Earth and it should always be treated with the most respect and appreciation possible.

The OKES crew has been working hard to restore natural areas and while doing so found some beautiful snakes along the way!

04/16/2026

Check out these pictures from a site OKES has worked on for 3 years in Perry County! This site used to be full of invasive species, this area has been treated twice for woody exotics and now is bursting with native wildflowers!

A few of the species found include Blue-Eyed Marys (Collinsia verna), Trillium (Trillium recurvatum), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), and Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata).

The last picture is of an untreated area where we have not conducted invasive species removal, notice how the bush honeysucle and other invasives are taking over and there are no wildflowers to be seen.

04/03/2026

This Spring weather has provided a nice opportunity for the crew to find native wildlife while working hard to treat invasive species and restore natural areas. Check out these finds from the last few weeks!🍂🍃

03/27/2026

We have had a busy couple of weeks! We conducted a few small private prescribed fires, attended the John A. Logan Job Fair, and finished a few projects we were working on. We have the best crew, and we are so thankful for their motivation and passion.

The first prescribed fire we conducted was a woodland burn to help reduce invasive woody species and the second one was a prairie restoration burn to reduce invasives in the prairie. Check out these pictures from the last two weeks!

For more information on the benefits of prescribed fires please follow these links:

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/illinois/stories-in-illinois/prescribed-fire/

https://www.illinoisprescribedfirecouncil.org/uploads/1/0/5/8/105892833/benefits_of_prescribed_fire.pdf

https://mdc.mo.gov/magazines/conservationist/2011-02/prescribed-fire-management-tool

03/20/2026

Happy first day of Spring!🌼🍃

We are going to utilize this beautiful weather to treat invasive species, maintain Firelines, and conduct a few small prescribed burns today.🔥

For now, enjoy this picture of Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) found by Matt T. (Crew Lead)

03/13/2026

It is back to being chilly now, but that recent warmer weather sure was nice! Check out these critters and plants the crew found while working hard to remove invasive species. We are so grateful for our nature-loving, passionate, hard working crew! 🌿🪾💚

03/06/2026

This beautiful weather means it’s time to check for invasive species!

Most invasive species are currently creating new leaves while the majority of our native species will wait a little longer. This makes it easier to identify the plants that are invading an area.

We took these pictures of autumn olive, bush honesysuckle, and multi flora rose today from around Carbondale to showcase some of the different species that are budding out in Southern Illinois. 🍃

For more information on invasive species around Southern Illinois follow these links:

https://extension.illinois.edu/invasives/invasive-amur-bush-honeysuckle

https://extension.illinois.edu/invasives/invasive-autumn-olive

https://extension.illinois.edu/invasives/multiflora-rosee