The Illinois Natural History Survey is a research organization devoted
to the scientific study of the living natural resources of Illinois. It
is one of the Divisions of the Department of Registration and Education
and is administered by a Board of Natural Resources and Conservation,
consisting of the Director of the Department, the President of the
University of Illinois, or his representative, the President of Southern
Illinois University, or his representative, members and experts in the
fields of geology, biology, chemistry, forestry, and engineering.
The Survey is organized into sections, five of which are engaged in
scientific pursuits. These are aquatic biology, botany and plant
pathology, economic entomology, faunistic survey, and wildlife. These
sections pursue basic and scientific research in systematics, ecology,
environmental quality, and control of plant diseases and insect pests.
The zoological collections of the Survey, numbering about 8,800,000
specimens, rank among the largest and most valuable in the world. The
botanical collections are smaller in size. The vascular plant
collections number over 145,000 specimens that are most representative
for studies of distribution in Illinois. The mycological collections,
with more than 35,000 specimens, include numerous types that are basic
to scientific research.
The Survey is housed in the Natural Resources Building and the Natural
Resources Studies Annex on the campus of the University of Illinois,
Urbana. In addition, the Survey maintains special research facilities at
Fox Ridge State Park, Stephen A. Forbes State Park, Havana, Sullivan,
and elsewhere for studies of pond management, prairie chickens,
pheasants, waterfowl, fish, and wildlife.