“This inaugural congress will provide constituents and the larger conservation community, a formal process to propose and advocate for actions that can be taken by the conservation district to protect and conserve natural resources and provide compatible education and recreational opportunities on public lands in McHenry County,” Board President Bona Heinsohn said in a news release.

A steering committee—filled with delegates from different groups—will put together a list of timely issues that affect the management and protection of McHenry County’s natural resources.

“It is important that we continue to be far-sighted in our protection of the public lands bequested upon us and take every opportunity to reach out to all individuals who have a stake in the future of McHenry County as a whole,” Executive Director Elizabeth Kessler said in the release. “This first McHenry County Conservation Congress will bring those individuals together to speak with one voice on behalf of our wide open spaces for past and future generations.”

The plan is to have the delegates then continue to meet on a biannual basis.