DeKalb County nonprofits awarded $5K for environmental initiatives

DeKALB – Oaken Acres Wildlife Refuge and Rehab Center and the Friends of Illinois Nature Preserve recently received $5,000 grants from Nicor Gas to support their environmental initiatives.

The grants are given to nonprofits and organizations committed to offering natural green spaces equitable access and enhancing sustainability activities, according to a news release.

The Friends of Illinois Nature Preserve’s grant will help survey Illinois Natural Areas Inventory sites to protect and steward the land. Oaken Acres Wildlife Refuge and Rehab Center is using the grant to remove Reed Canary Grass and plant native prairie plants and rye grass.

Nicor awarded $100,000 in grants to 21 organizations. The grants will help support the organization’s environmental initiatives.

Nicor is one of Southern Company Gas’s four natural gas distribution companies that serves more than 2.3 million customers in most of northern Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago.

Southern Company Gas is a subsidiary of Southern Company that serves 4.3 million natural gas customers through distribution companies in four states.

For information, visit NicorGas.com/CharitableGiving, nicorgas.com, or southerncompanygas.com.