Midewin Alliance

On November 13, 2024, the Board of Directors voted to dissolve the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance because our mission can be better carried out by our sister organization, the Midewin Interpretive Association (MidIA). The Alliance was originally a group of organizations that provided extensive outreach for advocacy and calls to action. Now our membership is primarily individuals and families.

As the role of the Alliance has diminished, MidIa’s involvement and support of many activities at Midewin has increased. The role of the Stakeholders group, which includes The National Forest Foundation, Openlands, The Wetlands Initiative, The Sierra Club and Chicago Botanic Gardens, among others, has also taken on much of what the Alliance has done from 1997 – 2020. One year after the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established by an act of Congress in 1996, as our nation’s first National Tallgrass Prairie, the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance incorporated as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to serve as an advocate and “Friend” of Midewin. Through the years, the Alliance has stood shoulder to shoulder with Midewin to defeat proposals that would have had a negative impact on Midewin.

The Midewin Interpretive Association was incorporated in 2002, as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation to serve as a USFS-Midewin Partner Organization, operate the Midewin Welcome Center Bookstore, support Midewin Youth Programs and support Midewin’s Interpretive activities. MidIA’s Bylaws have been modified to allow it to fill the advocacy role left by the closure of the Alliance and to establish a self-sustaining Board of Directors.

The Alliance Board has approved dispersal of dispersed funds for trail repair, restoration work and Interpretation Exhibits, and all remaining funds have been transferred to MidIA. All donation requests and earmarks will be honored after dissolution. If you donated money for a specific purpose, it will be used for that purpose.  Official letters have been sent to the Secretary of State and all Alliance banking accounts and PO Boc have been closed.

While the Alliance fades into the sunset, the impact of the Alliance’s advocacy, actions and achievements over the past 27 years will be enduring and a testament to our members. The Alliance Board of Directors sincerely wishes to thank our members, past and present, that have supported us in our role as a Midewin advocate and helped us to fight numerous projects that would have negatively impacted Midewin. Your role as a staunch Alliance supporter and as a Midewin advocate have proven invaluable. You fought to protect by attending hearings, writing letters and much more. 

Thank you, The Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Board of Directors: Frank Ibarra, Bill Bromer, Connie Heinrich, Ron Kapala, Jerry Heinrich, Penny Vanderhyden and Kim Shehorn.