Southern Illinois conservation leader Dale Shumaker is urging state leaders to reach a bipartisan solution that fully supports Illinois’ Soil and Water Conservation Districts before more local conservation capacity is lost. Illinois lawmakers enter the final weeks of budgets negotiations before the May 31 deadline.
Shumaker, President of the Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts (AISWCD) and a longtime District Director for the Pulaski Alexander County Soil and Water Conservation District, said growing environmental and land use pressures across Illinois are highlighting why long-term conservation funding challenges can no longer remain unaddressed.
Illinois’ 97 Soil and Water Conservation Districts have faced longstanding operational funding challenges that conservation leaders say have made it increasingly difficult to maintain staffing levels and provide consistent technical assistance to farmers and landowners over time.
Shumaker said the funding situation is particularly concerning for rural Southern Illinois communities that depend heavily on agriculture and natural resource protection.
AISWCD is supporting Senate Bill 4044, sponsored by Peoria Democratic Sen. David Koehler, which would create a dedicated conservation funding stream through a one-time – and one-time only — farmland conversion fee paid by developers permanently removing agricultural land from production.
AISWCD emphasized the proposed fee would only be paid once at the time agricultural land is converted for development and would not create recurring costs for farmers or landowners.
The proposal has already received bipartisan support in the Illinois Senate Appropriations Committee, including praise from Republican Suburban Sen. Don DeWitte for its focus on protecting farmland and creating long-term stability for conservation districts.
Shumaker said lawmakers still have time to act before the budget deadline.
He also warned that without stable support, Illinois risks weakening the local conservation delivery system responsible for helping farmers implement erosion control, soil health, and flood mitigation practices.
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May 13, 2026 at 12:20PM
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