Federal rollbacks have left Illinois wetlands exposed, and the state must step in
Wetlands filter water, store carbon, and provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife. Recent changes to federal law stripped protections from thousands of acres of Illinois wetlands, leaving them open to development and pollution. Governor Pritzker has the authority to fill that gap, but he needs to hear from you.
Illinois has already lost more than 90% of its historic wetlands, one of the highest loss rates of any state in the nation.
What remains is working hard: floodplain wetlands reduce flood damage, prairie potholes recharge groundwater, and marshes filter agricultural runoff before it reaches our rivers and Lake Michigan.
Without state-level protections, developers and industrial interests can drain or fill these remaining wetlands with little accountability.
A message to Governor Pritzker’s office takes just moments and tells him that Illinoisans expect the state to lead where the federal government has stepped back.
