When you plant a Liberty Oak sapling in 2026, you are not just celebrating 250 years, you are investing in the next 250. Planting these saplings will mark three moments in time — the founding of our nation, the present generation, and the generations still to come.
For the 16th year in a row, the Rock River Trail will distribute free oak and pecan saplings along the Rock River corridor in mid-April. Over these past 16 years, Chad Pregracke, president of Living Lands and Waters’ One Million Trees program, has graciously donated 167,000 trees to the Rock River Trail Initiative and the watershed. The goal of this project is to re-establish native, nut-bearing, hardwood trees along waterways to help reduce erosion, improve water & air quality, provide shelter and food for wildlife, and to improve biodiversity.
According to availability, each county will receive bur oak, red oak, swamp white oak, and pecan saplings. Each sapling is 1 to 2 feet long and bare-rooted. The trees will be distributed in Rock Island, Henry, Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Winnebago counties in Illinois, and Rock, Dane, Jefferson and Fond du Lac counties in Wisconsin. Each county will have its own distribution method.
Trees should be planted near the Rock River or near the mouth of one of its tributaries. Trees are available for the public sector: city, county, state, parks, preserves and conservation areas, and for private individuals on farms, residences and businesses along the Rock River—all free of charge.
The Rock River Trail Initiative established a National Water Trail along the 320 miles of the Rock River, from its source above the Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin to its mouth at the Quad Cities in Illinois. This was achieved in March of 2013, when it was designated a National Water Trail by the National Park Service.
Rock River Trail board member Steve Rypkema has coordinated this effort for the last several years. The organization is so appreciative of the work and miles he has put in delivering the trees to the eleven counties in Illinois and Wisconsin which border the Rock River.
Oak and Pecan Tree information can be found here, and tree info and care information can be found here.
Delivery Contacts and Locations
Rock Island County: Contact the Rock Island County Rock River Trail Council Member Dean Mathias, 309-737-8429.
Henry County: Contact the Henry County Soil & Water Cons. District, 309-973-3377, 301 E North St., Cambridge, IL.
Whiteside County: Contact Whiteside County Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA Building, 16255 Liberty St., Morrison, IL, 815-772-2124 (Ext. 3).
Lee County: Contact Dixon Park District; Ruth Edwards Nature Center, 815-288-5209.
Ogle County: Contact City of Byron; Byron Forest Preserve District, Oregon Park District; Ogle County Solid Waste Management, Oregon, IL.
Visit rockrivertrail.com for more information on the organization.
