Illinois-Iowa Ecological Services Field Office

For over 60 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Ecological Services has protected and restored fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. Our roots trace back to the River Basins Program that reviewed federal water development projects. 

Around 1971, the Illinois-Iowa Ecological Services Field Office was established to provide coordination for the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee and to review federal projects in Illinois and along the Upper Mississippi River adjacent to Illinois. The office expanded to include the state of Iowa in 1982. Since then, our responsibilities have expanded to include review and coordination on a majority federal projects, endangered species recovery and listing, environmental response and restoration, and a variety of conservation partnerships in Iowa and most Illinois (Chicago Ecological Services Field Office oversees Cook, Du Page, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties).