FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) – Beach season is underway and Rend Lake is getting some national attention for its environmental sustainability efforts.
Rend Lake is one of southern Illinois’ summer hot spots, and now, the nonprofit “Leave No Trace” has named it one of this year’s 20 Spotlight Sites. The designation aims to rally the community to join forces to revitalize and protect outdoor spaces.
“Leave No Trace is a set of principles that will help you be mindful to keep the outdoor areas that we love so much as clean and as beautiful as we found them so future generations can use them and love them just as much we do,” said Rob Pelton.
Leave No Trace team member Rob Pelton says Rend Lake made the list because of existing conservation efforts and the opportunity it presents to share that message.
“We chose Rend Lake because of their efforts to keep the area sustainable and clean. You can just look and see how well the area is taken care of. So we’re here to shine a spotlight on that, educate folks, and shine a light on their ongoing efforts,” said Pelton
Natural Resources Specialist Breanna Whitley says with the uptick in visitors post-COVID, this spotlight designation could not have come at a better time.
“It’s super exciting that we were selected as a spotlight sight because we have extra people on hand telling folks how great Rend Lake is, but not just that it’s great, but that we have to respect this natural resource. But that’s what the team is doing here today. They’re helping bridge that gap between us and our visitors. Not just that it’s a fun place. But that we need to respect it,” said Whitley.
Rend Lake is located in Franklin County, Illinois.
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