Illinois House of Representatives to Honor Carl Becker

Springfield, Ill. — May 2, 2007 — Carl Nels Becker, former director of conservation programs for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois, will be honored today when the Illinois House of Representatives reads a resolution highlighting his distinguished career and numerous contributions to conservation in Illinois.

Becker was a highly regarded member of The Conservancy team and of the entire conservation community. “Carl was recognized as an innovator early on in his career and later he was respected as a leader because of his incredible skill to get people inside and outside of government to work toward solving large scale conservation and natural resource issues that face Illinois,” said Fran Hardy, director of land conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Illinois. Becker passed away suddenly in April of 2006.

Prior to his position with The Conservancy, Becker held several positions within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and was the first executive director of the Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board. He was the first chief of the Division of Natural Heritage, and served as assistant office director of realty and environment planning. During his tenure at IDNR, Becker spearheaded the effort to create the Wildlife Preservation Fund and an income tax program that provides funding for wildlife habitat. He also worked to pass legislation allocating a portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax to natural areas and habitats for endangered and threatened species. Becker played a critical role in conserving natural habitats from Cook County to the Cache River State Natural Area, and was instrumental in efforts to save the dwindling territory of the prairie chicken in southern Illinois. In Chicago, he worked to encourage peregrine falcons to roost among skyscrapers.

At The Nature Conservancy, Becker worked on a variety of habitat restoration and enhancement projects throughout Illinois. He also served as a liaison to state and federal public land agencies as they developed ecoregional priorities. In addition, he was an active participant in the founding of Chicago Wilderness. He resided in Petersburg, Illinois.

In December of 2006, Carl was one of four individuals inducted into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame for distinguished service and commitment to natural resource protection and outdoor recreation in Illinois.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.