Caterpillar Awards $625,000 Grant to The Nature Conservancy.

CHICAGO, July 16 /PRNewswire/ --

The Illinois Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is pleased to announce that Caterpillar Inc., of Peoria, Illinois, is affirming its commitment to the environment with a $625,000 grant to the Conservancy in support of its work along the Illinois River. The grant, given over the next five years, is the company's largest single investment to a conservation organization to date.

"Few, if any, organizations have as big of an impact on our environment as The Nature Conservancy, and we could not be happier to support their work," says Bud Davis, general manager of Caterpillar's component manufacturing/marketing services group and vice chairman of the Conservancy's Illinois Chapter Board of Trustees. "This investment is just part of our on-going commitment to build and sustain our environment for future generations, and The Nature Conservancy is in an excellent position to help us achieve that goal," he said.

The Conservancy will use the Caterpillar gift to fund its work along the Illinois River. A cornerstone of the Conservancy's efforts to improve the health of the river is the work that will be done at Emiquon, more than 7,600 acres along the Illinois River, south of Peoria, near Havana. Emiquon is the largest floodplain wetland restoration in the country. Caterpillar is a long-time supporter of the Conservancy, annually funding the organization's Illinois River restoration project.

"Caterpillar's continued support and leadership in the conservation of the Illinois River is critical to our success," said Michael Reuter, chief conservation officer and associate state director of the Illinois Chapter of the Conservancy. "The Illinois River has enriched the lives of generations of people in Illinois. But our quality of life is now at risk because the Illinois River ecosystem is threatened," he said. "Throughout the Illinois River system, from the Mackinaw and Fox Rivers to Peoria Lakes and Emiquon, the Conservancy is working with local communities to sustain the ...