The mission of the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board (ESPB/Board) is to protect those species of plants and animals native to Illinois which are in danger of being lost from the wild in Illinois.
The Board was created by the passage of the
Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act in 1972. The Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor, and the Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR/Department) as a non-voting member. By law, the members include at least six naturalists, including at least two zoologists, two ecologists, and one botanist.
NOTICE: The 198th meeting of the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board will be held on:
May 19, 2023, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Director's Boardroom, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62701.
The meeting notice can be found here.
The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board will be convening Endangered Special Technical Advisory Committees (ESTACs) to assist with the next revision of the Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Species. The ESTACs review the status of listed species and discuss additional species for which listing may be warranted. There are seven ESTACs: Mammals, Birds, Amphibians/Reptiles, Fish, Terrestrial Invertebrates, Aquatic Invertebrates, and Plants. Anyone wishing to be considered for membership on an ESTAC should submit a statement of interest and a resume/CV to the Board at
dnr.espb@illinois.gov