Pioneer Trail Wind Project

Located across Iroquois and Ford Counties in Illinois, this project features 94 wind turbines generating a combined 150.4 megawatts (MW) of clean energy.

The site falls within the range of two vulnerable bat species, the endangered Indiana bat (IBAT) and the threatened Northern long-eared bat (NLEB). RES, in partnership with its affiliate First Indiana Resource, was selected in 2017 to lead this initiative, delivering a comprehensive habitat solution under a 43-year Incidental Take Permit (ITP).

RES implemented a multi-faceted mitigation approach to support summer habitat requirements for both bat species:

Conservation Easements: Secured 208.04 acres across three strategic properties within the Middle Fork Vermilion River Corridor, a vital zone in the Vermilion Watershed.

Habitat preservation and enhancement: Preserved 106 acres of native forest, planted 70 acres of trees to restore cultivated lands, and developed 6.67 acres of wetland habitat

Artificial Roosting Structures: Installed to supplement natural roost sites

Bat prey habitat creation: Promoted ecological conditions favorable to sustaining prey populations

Measurable Impact

RES’s nature-based mitigation program not only fulfilled compliance obligations for the ITP but also generated enduring ecological value:

198 acres of permanent conservation easements

Enhanced biodiversity in a critical watershed

Strengthened ecosystem services such as water filtration and carbon sequestration

A model for how infrastructure and wildlife protection can coexist