blog posts

• primary for post 1252520362

  2025 was warm and dry in Illinois

  Jan 21, 2026 2:15 pm

  Not as warm as 2024, but 2025 was well above the 20th century average temperature and saw nearly 700 records broken for daily high temperatures, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute. Last year also marked the fourth consecutive year of late summer and autumn drought in Illinois.

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  Terrestrial biodiversity grows with tree cover in agricultural landscapes

  Jan 21, 2026 9:30 am

  Farmers plant or preserve riparian buffers for various reasons, such as improving water quality, controlling erosion, or maintaining hunting habitat. Now, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign underscores the benefits of riparian buffers to terrestrial biodiversity, finding that for every 10% increase in forest cover, an additional species is present.

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• primary for post 230614156

  Cool, dry start to winter

  Jan 5, 2026 4:15 pm

  Despite substantial snowfall in parts of the state, Illinois had a dry December, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

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• primary for post 254331007

  ISGS releases interactive ArcGIS StoryMap on coastal change along Lake Michigan

  Dec 17, 2025 9:00 am

  Developed by coastal geologist Liz Spitzer, based at the ISGS field office in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, the ArcGIS StoryMap explains the natural and human-driven processes that shape the coast, how those changes affect coastal communities, and why long-term coastal mapping is critical for managing and protecting these dynamic environments.

  
  

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  Winter Learn to Hunt workshops available

  Dec 4, 2025 2:45 pm

  Upcoming Learn to Hunt workshops offer Illinois residents a path to learn traditional hunting skills.

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  Winter began in November, ending mild, dry fall

  Dec 3, 2025 3:00 pm

  The two big rounds of snowfall last month made for a much snowier-than-average November for central and northern Illinois, with some areas getting 8 to 12 inches more than normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

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  NSF grant funds collaborative water-safety innovation

  Oct 30, 2025 12:00 pm

  University of Illinois scientists are developing a way for households to monitor the quality of their drinking water, as part of a $5 million National Science Foundation-funded project led by Washington University in St. Louis.

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  Warm, dry October ushers in fall

  Oct 29, 2025 3:00 pm

  Below normal rainfall continued into October in central and northern Illinois, helping harvest progress quickly, as well as creating challenges with dry vegetation and high fire risk, according to Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford at the Prairie Research Institute.

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  Building a living laboratory on a lake

  Oct 20, 2025 11:15 am

  After more than a year of planning, our team is finally ready to launch a new phase of research. We’ve designed and built two small “islands” of wetland plants that will float on Lake Decatur. These living laboratories will help us investigate how floating wetlands may affect nutrient levels and sediment dynamics in lake systems nationwide.

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  New ISGS report explores carbon-negative oil recovery in southern Illinois

  Oct 19, 2025 10:15 am

  Researchers at the Illinois State Geological Survey are studying how to use carbon dioxide (CO₂) to recover more oil and store carbon underground in southern Illinois.

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