We support safety training, host youth events, and we offer a yearly scholarship content for students to demonstrate their passion for conservation and outdoorsmen heritage.
From tree plantings and native timber restoration to food plots and wood duck box installations, our volunteers lead hands-on conservation efforts throughout Henderson County.
We organize educational activities, conservation workdays, and fundraisers and run an informal mentorship program connecting experienced outdoorsmen with youth and adults looking to learn outdoorsmen values, skills, and safety.
Friends of Henderson County Wildlife (FOHCWL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about Henderson County, Illinois’ exceptional natural resources. We work to benefit wildlife and promote the recreational outdoor activities that make our community special, all in accordance with the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
Our mission is driven by three core objectives: Education, Conservation, and Outdoorsmen Heritage — together, we call them our E.C.O. Goals. Every dollar raised stays local, funding projects and programs that directly impact Henderson County.
In 2020, Friends of Henderson County Wildlife was founded in loving memory of Don “Butch” and Beverly Brent, lifelong Henderson County residents who who enjoyed all the Mississippi River Valley has to offer. Mr. & Mrs. Brent lived a life dedicated to their family & the Education Profession. They deeply valued nature and treasured family time outdoors enjoying Henderson County Illinois’s natural resources.
FOHCWL was created to honor their memory and ensure that the traditions, knowledge, and conservation values they embodied would be passed on to future generations. Today, we carry forward their spirit of stewardship and their commitment to sharing the outdoors with others.
Outdoorsmen (note the ‘men’ in Outdoorsmen includes both women and men) safety is a core value of our mission, and we encourage all Illinois residents born on or after January 1, 1980, to obtain a valid Hunter Education Certificate of Competency issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (ILDNR), Safety Education Division. ILDNR relies on trained volunteers to lead Hunter Safety Courses, and we are proud some of our FOHCWL members are certified instructors. In addition to hunter safety, we promote boating, water, and survival training to ensure our members are well-prepared in the field.
FOHCWL proudly collaborates with local state parks and private landowners to carry out impactful conservation projects. These partnerships allow us to restore habitats, improve biodiversity, and engage the community in meaningful stewardship efforts to enhance forests, wildlife resources, fishing, and hunting opportunities.
By working together, we ensure that both public and private lands contribute to a healthier ecosystem and a stronger outdoorsmen legacy.
Passing on our Outdoorsmen Heritage helps preserve natural resources and creates a legacy for future generations. For many residents, these riches have become a formative part of our lives. Fishing, hunting, and outdoor activities are a healthy way to escape the fast paced, electronic world we all live in.
We provide residents, businesses, and philanthropists an avenue to further support and celebrate some of Henderson County’s most coveted resources, our natural resources.
Every dollar you contribute stays in Henderson County.
There are no paid employees at FOHCWL—just passionate volunteers who care deeply about our natural resources. Dollars paid towards memberships and raised via fundraising are spent exclusively on Education, Conservation, or Outdoorsmen Heritage initiatives right here in Henderson County, Illinois.
This means when you support FOHCWL, you’re directly funding:
Your investment makes a tangible difference in your own backyard.
We’ve compiled answers to the most common questions about FOHCWL, our mission, membership, and how we operate. Learn more about our founding, tax-deductible donations, membership requirements, partnerships with national organizations, and how to get involved.
