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Ongoing Projects
Click here to download our project application.
Rock Island County School District Outdoor Learning Center:
Interstate RC&D is assisting the RICO School District complete a long-range plan and implement several
projects associated with a new Math & Science School. Trails, outdoor amphitheater, meteorological station,
theme gardens, renewable energy and other initiatives are planned for the new campus.
Quad City Botanical Center:
Interstate RC&D is partnering with the Quad City Botanical Center to help them develop a long range plan
for growth and sustainability for the organization. Interstate RC&D will provide meeting facilitation,
short and long term planning and grant research and grant proposal development.
United States Forest Service (USFS) Hazardous Fuels Mitigation Grant:
Interstate RC&D is partnering with the Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District (RICSWCD)
& Quad Cities Natural Area Guardians (NAGS), Scott County Conservation Board (SCCB), Illinois Nature
Preserves Commission, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Augustana College, Western Illinois
University (WIU), Blackhawk State Historic Site and others to reduce the quantity of hazardous fuels within
the wildland-urban interface at Blackhawk State Park, Joshua-Lindahl/Collinson Ecological Preserve and West
Lake Park. A $120,500 grant was received along with a $121,926 match for a total project cost of $242,426.
Main Street Orion:
Interstate RC&D is partnering with representatives from Main Street Orion to assist with developing a long
range plan for growth and sustainability for the organization. Possible grant proposal development
assistance may be needed also.
Edwards River Watershed Development Project:
Interstate RC&D received a request from the Henry County & Mercer County Soil & Water Conservation
Districts to explore the feasibility of bringing landowners together to propose a watershed district and
to develop a long range watershed plan to capture state and federal funding.
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Keithsburg Marina:
Interstate RC&D is partnering with Keithsburg and University of Illinois Extension, Community & Economic
Development group and others to assist with constructing a full service Marina and Boat Works facility in
Ketihsburg. A developer has proposed a Marina that will potentially employ 5 full time employees, 10-15
permanent seasonal employees and 25-30 temporary jobs at a total cost of $4.3 Million Dollars.
Bishop Hill Strategic Cultural Community Long Range Planning:
Interstate RC&D is partnering with the Henry County Tourism Bureau to facilitate meetings and to help
develop a long range plan for the Village of Bishop Hill, the Bishop Hill Heritage Association and the
Bishop Hill Arts Council. Ultimately, the plan will help to create living history, arts and education
tourism initiatives. Total project costs & benefits is estimated between $1.5 Million - $2 Million dollars.
City of Colona Wind Study:
A request was sent to Interstate RC&D to assist with conducting a wind/feasibility study for Colona, IL.
Interstate RC&D will partner with the City of Colona, Colona School District, Colona Fire Protection
District, Colona Library and developers seek funding to complete the studies. Total cost of the project is
estimated at $60,000-$70,000.
Muscatine Community Rain Gardens:
Muscatine High School has requested the assistance from Interstate RC&D to provide meeting facilitation
and to develop a strategic plan to research and engineer designs for community rain gardens to help educate
the community on best management practices for storm water runoff management. Grant research and grant
proposal development may also be provided. Total cost of project is estimated at $4,000.
Eco-Camp 2011:
A partnership was formed about 9 years ago between the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil
and Water Districts, University of Illinois Extension, Interstate RC&D, County Boards and others to
conduct ECO-Camp each year; two days in the spring and two days in the fall. ECO-Camp is an outdoor
classroom/learning program for 4th-6th grade students who learn about soils, Forests, prairies, lakes,
water quality, fish and wildlife and many other topics are covered during the two-day sessions.
There have been over 3,000 students participate in ECO-Camp since it began and valuable partnerships
have developed and strengthened over the years. Pheasants Forever joined the partnership in 2009 by
contributing funding for programming. The spring ECO-Camp is scheduled for April 28-29, 2011 and the
fall ECO-Camp is scheduled for September 22-23, 2011.
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Forest Management Workshop 2011:
Plans are underway to host the fifth annual Forest Management Workshop to provide landowners and others with hands-on
techniques and information about woodland and timber management. Breakout sessions and demonstrations include:
Invasive Species Control; Brush Management; Logging/Timber Harvest; Chainsaw Safety; Wildlife Habitat
Management; Tree Pruning; Tree Identification & Erosion Control.
Friends of the Pine Creek Grist Mill
"Friends" is a volunteer non-profit organization formed in 1996. The mission of the organization
is to restore, maintain and operate the Mill and to share the historical significance of the site
through educational programs, public tours and events. Interstate RC&D is assisting the Friends
seek and successfully apply for funding for the various educational programs and events at the
Mill. You can learn more about the Friends at
www.pincreekgristmill.com.
Grant Research and Writing Services:
Interstate RC&D offers clients grant research and grant writing services. Ami Jenkins, Professional Grant
Writer, teamed up with Interstate RC&D in 2011 to provide clients with her knowledge and expertise in
grant research and grant proposal development. More information can be obtained by contacting our
office at 309-764-1486.
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Renaissance Hennepin Canal/Friends of the Hennepin Canal:
The Friends of the Hennepin Canal is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the wise use and
preservation of the Hennepin Canal Parkway. The Hennepin Canal Parkway is a 104.5 mile long State Park spanning
five Illinois Counties which include Bureau, Henry, Lee, Rock Island, and Whiteside. The Friends of the Hennepin
Canal presented to community leaders their proposal to restore a portion of the canal to its original working
condition. The project is called Renaissance Hennepin Canal and the overall objective of this project is to
transform the Hennepin Canal into a navigable waterway, with working locks, from the Guard Lock at Rock Falls
through Lock 24 at Geneseo, IL. Intestate RC&D is facilitating the planning and implementation of the project.
Phase I will be the completion of a feasibility study for the targeted area restoring locks 22, 23 and 24 to
good working condition and channel improvements. The project is expected to take approximately three years. Once
completed, boats will be able to leisurely travel fifty miles of quiet countryside, from one urbanized area to
the other. It is projected that this fifty-mile waterway will create abundant recreational, cultural and economic
benefits to western and northern Illinois.
Interstate RC&D also assisted the Friends of the Hennepin Canal complete and submit their 501 (c) 3 application.
Smart Bus 2011:
Project S.M.A.R.T. (Sharp Minds are Reading Thoroughly) Bus is a traveling education center and a very
successful program committed to reducing illiteracy, educating young people about the environment through
a series of presentations and hands-on activities while promoting careers in the natural resources and
environmental areas. Project S.M.A.R.T. Bus travels to the rural and urban communities in the five
county RC&D area of Henry, Mercer, and Rock Island counties in Illinois and Muscatine and Scott counties
in Iowa offering fun learning in a unique setting. Children are invited to come on board this handicapped
accessible bus and choose a book which they get to keep along with other resource materials. They also
get the opportunity to participate in a variety of learning exercises and activities covering a wide
variety of natural resource and environmental topics. The bus begins traveling in March and runs through
October, making stops at several different locations.
Project S.M.A.R.T. Bus started in 2000 by a group of local volunteers, spear-headed by Charles Curry,
Interstate RC&D Council Member. There were many organizations and businesses that made donations to
help make this project a success.
The S.M.A.R.T. Bus project has received a number of state, regional , and national awards for innovative
approaches to learning and reducing illiteracy and for strong outreach efforts working with a broad and
diverse population of children and young adults.
In 2010, SMART bus made 36 visits; approximately 5,000 children participated with 30% participation by
minorities and at-risk/socially disadvantaged children; presented 67 programs on recycling and alternative
energy and handed out over 6,000 books. In 2009, the Project S.M.A.R.T. Bus program will be focused on
threatened and endangered species, recycling and alternative energy. The SMART Bus decided to go "GREEN"
in 2009 and is now Solar Equipped and will be used as a teaching tool during various visits.
If you would like to schedule the bus to come to your organization or event, please contact our office
at (309) 764-1486 extension 4 or send us an email to info@interstatercd.org.
There is a $25 service charge to schedule the bus for your event and all other donations to the SMART
Bus are tax deductible! We are also accepting children's books ages preschool to 8th grade. Volunteer
opportunities to work with the program are also available.
Interested students from the Quad City area can apply for a $500 scholarship from the Charles Curry
SMART Bus Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors and freshman,
sophomore and Junior college students from Henry, Mercer and Rock Island Counties in Illinois and
Muscatine and Scott Counties from Iowa majoring in Natural Resources or education. More information can
be obtained by contacting our office. The 2011 scholarship winner is Kara Poppe, Senior Davenport West High School.
Kara is planning to attend the University of Northern Iowa to study Ecology and Natural Resources.
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