Kendall County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), formed in 1947, provides assistance and resource information about soil, water and related natural resources. For more detailed information, see District Programs.

Today, Illinois is home to 98 Soil and Water Conservation Districts which were commissioned under the "Soil and Water Conservation Act" (70 ILCS 405) of 1937. Click below to learn more.

Historical Origins of SWCDs

Formation Dates of Illinois Districts

Soil and Water Conservation District Act

“The mission of the Kendall County Soil and Water Conservation District is to promote the conservation and enhancement of soil, water and other natural resources within Kendall County.”

SWCD Director, Pat Hogan:

Wildlife Landowner of the Year Award

by: Joe Rogus, IDNR

Each year the Illinois Department of Natural Resources recognizes five landowners as Wildlife Landowner of the Year. Illinois is divided into five regions in which there is one winner for each region. This year Mr. Patrick Hogan of Kendall county was selected as the winner of Region II.

Mr. Hogan first started his conservation efforts back in 2001 on his property in Big Grove Township. Interested in wildlife management he contacted the DNR for assistance through the Illinois Acres for Wildlife Program. At the beginning the property consisted primarily of cropland, grass waterways and a few fence lines. It was his primary goal to establish a variety of different habitats which would benefit all wildlife, while providing opportunity for the sportsman. A wildlife management plan was developed for the property in which he began the implementation process. It has taken several years of hard work and dedication to develop this project. To date he has developed approximately twenty three acres of native prairie, established eight acres of woodlands and continues to conduct Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) on his existing woodlands. He has also developed an eight acre wetland with associated upland habitats through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). In a given year he plants several hundred trees, conducts prescribed prairie burns and manages the invasion of exotic species. A project like this is dynamic and requires him to often review and adjust is management practices to achieve his goals. The benefits of this type of project may take several years to witness but is well worth it. Mr. Hogan is seeing a large number of different wildlife species using his property than before – an indicator of success.

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