Illinois Wildlife Action Plan

The Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris illinoensis) relies on uncommon habitats including ephemeral ponds in sandy soils. This species remains buried in the soil for most of the year emerging only for a short period in late winter. IDNR staff conduct road-based survey routes for this species in February and March where the species may be detected by listening for its mating call at night. The calling period only lasts for 2-4 weeks before the frogs go back underground, so winter is the most important time to collect data for evaluation of the species’ conservation status. The results of these surveys are shown in the accompanying figure. With the help of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program award, IDNR will work with NRCS to provide additional habitat in agricultural landscapes. Many of the habitats for ICF occur on private and agricultural land, because of this, it is important to work with landowners on habitat protection and management.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/rcpp-regional-conservation-partnership-program

Let's talk more about species recovery!

The second phase of the Species Recovery Process is the Conservation Planning Phase. A Conservation Planning Document will be created for each species to establish a need for conservation, identify conservation objectives, and inventory conservation actions. A Conservation Planning Document will communicate the Species Recovery Team’s vision for managing the focal species towards a desired conservation outcome.

Keep a look out for more information on the Conservation Planning Phase on the Species Recovery webpage!