A Major Conservation Win Near St. Louis

Creating a Corridor for Wildlife  

This landscape is as important as it is beautiful. It includes rare hill prairies and limestone glades, along with mature forests that support migratory birds along the Mississippi Flyway. It is home to 19 threatened and endangered species, including the cerulean warbler, timber rattlesnake, and Indiana bat. 

This project also connects White Rock to nearby protected lands like Salt Lick Point Land and Water Reserve, creating a 2,300-acre corridor of protected habitat — one of the largest stretches of conserved Mississippi Blufflands in Illinois. 

That kind of scale matters. It gives wildlife room to move, migrate, and thrive — from the Gulf Coast to the Ozarks, up the Mississippi River, and beyond to the Great Lakes. For birds especially, this corridor is part of a much larger journey. And for people, it means more connected, meaningful outdoor experiences. 

What This Means for the Community 

White Rock is also one of the region’s most popular hiking destinations. Once opened to the public, the new property will significantly expand outdoor recreation opportunities. For now, it will remain closed to the public while Clifftop prepares it for safe visitation and establishes new recreational trails.  

For the St. Louis region, this is an important win: more protected land, more connected habitat, and more places to experience the outdoors — all within a short drive.