Our Organization and Partners

CLIFFTOP – Conserving Lands In Farm, Forest, Talus, Or Prairie – was founded in 2006 and is:

~ a grassroots, no-frills, bare-bones, nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization of volunteers.

~ an alliance and fusion-center that serves as a clearinghouse. We work with county, state, federal and non-governmental agencies and partner to bring landholders and area residents the requisite technical, educational, and financial tools to slow or stem threats to our bluff lands and keep them productive, healthy, and beautiful.

CLIFFTOP‘s mission is to promote the conservation, preservation, and protection of the Mississippi River bluffs corridor in Monroe, Randolph and St. Clair Counties through:

~ public outreach / information:

workshops and seminars provide information on our region’s natural history, wildlife, and land stewardship practices;

field trips, on the ground and up the bluffs to appreciate and learn about the splendor of this place;

web site, with species-specific information on invasive plants, natural history, scientific research in our area;

monthly articles, CLIFFnotes, published in area newspapers and archived on our web site, and our newsletter, Bluffviews, sent quarterly to members, and archived on our web site.

~ direct hands-on land stewardship by CLIFFhanger volunteers:

This often labor-intensive work includes: prescribed burns, brush clearing, trail maintenance, control of non-native invasive plant populations, and, with special permits, collecting seed for and restoring native plant populations. Volunteers exchange reciprocal efforts work on private lands, and also work on public lands, and, especially at Clifftop’s special places, White Rock Nature Preserve and White Rock Land and Water Reserve.

Volunteers also lend their skills and talents with photography; wildlife and plant inventorying and censusing for our natural history biodiversity database; information technology; and public information and outreach.

~ land protection projects:

Preserving our highest-quality natural areas in perpetuity through fee simple purchase or permanent conservation easements by working with willing local landowners.

In 2010 Clifftop partnered with HeartLands Conservancy (formerly Southwestern Illinois Resource Conservation and Development), to purchase White Rock, a 475-acre tract in Monroe County that contains a mosaic of hill prairies, limestone glades and high quality upland forest. Permanent protection of sites such as White Rock ensures the future of our mutual natural heritage.

All Clifftop programs and operations are funded by grants and donations and the on-going support provided by our members. Clifftop is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, incorporated in the State of Illinois; gifts to the organization are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Clifftop is an all-volunteer organization.

Clifftop Board of Directors:

Jeremy Volkmar, President

Bob Weck, Vice-president

Susan Rick, Secretary

Susan Harbaugh, Treasurer

Joann Fricke, Membership Chair

Jim Hill

Wayne Johanning

Paul Janssen

Jared Nobbe

Delbert Wittenauer

Laura Schaefer

Andy Martin

Alleen Betzenhauser

Aaron Addison

Jacob Gyore

• Please join us: Print and complete our membership form to join!

If you’d like to volunteer with Clifftop, please note that interest on your membership form, or send an e-mail to clifftop@htc.net to let us know that you’d like to help the CLIFFhangers!

You also can support Clifftop by making a donation. Clifftop is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit and your gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. To make a monetary gift, please send your check, payable to Clifftop NFP, to Clifftop, P.O. Box 131, Maeystown, IL 62256. Donations are gladly and gratefully accepted.

You can increase the impact of a donation if your employer has a matching gift program. For-profit companies often will stand with their employees and match donations to qualified charitable 501 (c) (3) organizations, like Clifftop. If your employer has a such a program, ask for their matching gift form, complete and sign it and send it to us. We’ll add needed information about Clifftop and send in the request.

You also can support Clifftop by enrolling in the e-scrip program and earn money for Clifftop when you shop. The program is simple: just pick up an e-scrip card at a Schnucks Market and register your card to Clifftop, group ID # 500022680, either online at www.escrip.com or by telephone, 1-800-931-6258. Participating merchants like Schnucks contribute a percentage of your purchase totals to Clifftop each time you present your card at the check-out register. You also can register and use your card through the e-scrip online shopping mall and create even greater contributions.

We partner with many organizations and invite you to learn more about the people and groups we work with by visiting their web sites:

Illinois Department of Natural Resources: www.dnr.illinois.gov

Illinois Nature Preserves Commission: www.dnr.state.il.us/INPC/index.htm

Illinois Natural History Survey: www.inhs.uiuc.edu

Illinois Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): www.il.nrcs.usda.gov/programs

University of Illinois Extension Service, Monroe County Office: web.extension.illinois.edu/monroe

Illinois Speleological Survey: www.caves.org/project/iss/

Subterranean Ecology Institute:  http://cavelife.org/

Kaskaskia Valley Audubon Society: www.kvaswebsite.wordpress.com

Illinois Audubon Society: www.illinoisaudubon.org

Illinois Ornithological Society: www.illinoisbirds.org

Illinois Native Plant Society: www.ill-inps.org

Southwestern Illinois College: www.swic.edu

HeartLands Conservancy: www.HeartLandsConservancy.org

Thomas Rollins Photography: http://thomasrollinsphotography.com/gallery.html

TreeHouse Wildlife Center: http://www.treehousewildlifecenter.com

World Bird Sanctuary: http://worldbirdsanctuary.org