Illinois state-owned
protected areas include
state parks,
state forests, state
recreation areas, state fish and
wildlife areas, state natural areas, and one state trail. These areas are all administered by the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In addition, dozens of state historic sites are administered by the
Illinois Historic Preservation Division.
State historic sites State historic sites are typically protected for their historic and cultural importance but may include a nature preservation component, such as at
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and
Lincoln's New Salem. For a list, see
Illinois Historic Preservation Division.
State parks State parks are owned by the state and generally administered by the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Specifically, "State Park" refers to sites "exhibiting exceptional scenic and natural features and terrain" and that "offer a wide range of recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy".
State fish and wildlife areas Areas whose primary purpose is to "reserve land and water areas for production and conservation of fish or wildlife and to provide hunting, fishing, trapping, observation, and other forms of compatible recreational use."
State recreation areas State natural areas Areas of land which "either retains or has recovered to a substantial degree its original natural or primeval character, though it need not be completely undisturbed, or has floral, faunal, ecological, geological or archaeological features of scientific, educational, scenic or esthetic interest."
Other state protected areas ==Federally protected areas==