PRI equips industries in Illinois and beyond with the data, tools, and technologies to maintain and responsibly expand their operations.
At a foundational level, PRI facilitates industrial land-use planning [link to Land and Resource Planning] by providing detailed information on the landscape — subsurface geology, water availability, natural and cultural resources, hazards, and more. These data allow current and emerging industries to critically evaluate where development is feasible, whether a project adheres to state and federal regulations, and how that project might impact public health, the environment, and cultural resources.
PRI also aims to increase the efficiency and sustainability of industrial processes.
Perhaps most notably, PRI geologists and engineers have spent over 20 years developing safe and economical methods for capturing, storing, and using CO2 from power plants and industrial operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. PRI has emerged as a leader in applied carbon management research, with a growing portfolio of CCUS projects at its Illinois Sustainability Technology Center and Illinois State Geological Survey.
Industries, businesses, and communities also seek the expertise of PRI’s Technical Assistance Program to become more competitive and resilient via sustainable practices, technologies, and solutions. For example, TAP’s production process assessments aim to reduce energy and water consumption, minimize carbon footprints, reduce waste, increase productivity, and drive innovation. As of 2023, TAP has worked in 94 of Illinois’ 102 counties.
From agriculture and outdoor recreation to mining and real estate, many industrial sectors benefit from specialized resources provided by PRI.
Agriculture
Environmental changes and crop pests threaten agriculture, a $51.1 billion industry in Illinois that, together with related industries, supports 6 percent of the state’s jobs. PRI’s monitoring and research programs supply farmers with data and tools to tackle these challenges, promoting the continued sustainability and profitability of Illinois’ agricultural sector.
Climate, weather, & environmental data
PRI’s Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring program offers its weather, water, and soil condition data online, free of charge. Thousands of Illinoisans, particularly those in the agriculture industry, access and use these data daily. WARM also offers a crop degree day calculator that growers can use to estimate crop development and maturity in their area. Together, these resources help Illinois farmers determine optimal timing for planting, harvesting, and pesticide and fertilizer application.
Trent Ford, the Illinois State Climatologist at PRI, connects with farmers, state agencies, policymakers, and other stakeholders, presenting weather and climate data, maps, and information. Ford also provides insight into issues that impact Illinois growers — drought, heat waves, and heavy rainfall events — based on his applied climate research.
Crop pest control & management
Other PRI programs conduct applied research on longstanding and emerging pests and diseases that jeopardize crop yields, such as corn rootworms. Equipped with PRI’s pest data and tools, growers can develop control and management strategies optimized for their location and crops.
PRI’s Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey program detects and monitors the invasion of priority crop pests through targeted surveys and public education efforts. Program data informs quarantine measures and eradication plans. Additionally, it can provide proof that areas are free of specific exotic species, which helps facilitate the safe export of Illinois’ agricultural products.
Nutrient & sediment tracking
Some PRI projects monitor nutrient and sediment transport from agricultural fields. Others develop tools and technology to help farmers use fertilizers more efficiently, reducing fertilizer costs and minimizing environmental impacts. For instance, PRI offers an online decision-support tool that helps corn growers schedule fertilizer applications based on real-time nitrogen availability in local soils.
Read more about PRI’s multidisciplinary work supporting agriculture.
Outdoor Recreation
From hunting and fishing to hiking and birding, Illinois offers abundant outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and tourists alike. These activities boost participants’ health and wellness and can help foster a stronger sense of community. Outdoor recreation also benefits Illinois’ economy, directly supporting 177,120 jobs and contributing over $21.8 billion to the state.
PRI’s Illinois Natural History Survey supports the maintenance and growth of Illinois’ outdoor recreation sector through its extensive biological monitoring and applied research programs. Stakeholders like the Illinois Department of Natural Resources use data from these programs to strengthen their land and wildlife management efforts and inform regulations.
Read about PRI’s biological monitoring and research efforts [link to PRI Conservation page] and their impact on natural resource conservation.
Hunting
PRI provides long-term data, information, and training opportunities to directly support Illinois hunters. Federal, state, and private stakeholders also draw on these resources while maintaining hunting areas, managing game species populations, and setting sustainable hunting regulations.
Waterfowl distribution & abundance
For over 75 years, PRI’s Forbes Biological Station has conducted aerial surveys of waterfowl along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, supplying hunters with information on where to find their favorite game. These inventories — supported by IDNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — have vastly improved our understanding of waterfowl distribution in Illinois, migration timing, and the effects of refuges.
Both public and private entities use PRI’s long-term aerial datasets to direct waterfowl management, habitat acquisition, ecological research, and education initiatives. IDNR, for example, uses them to inform hunting season dates, zones, and other regulations and to prioritize wetland acquisitions.
Learn more about ongoing bird research at PRI’s Illinois Natural History Survey.
Hunter surveys
PRI’s Human Dimensions Research Program conducts surveys to learn about Illinois hunters’ and trappers’ activities in the field, their attitudes toward management activities, and their support for proposed regulatory changes. Reports and the results of annual harvest surveys on upland game species, snow goose and waterfowl, as well as fur-bearer trapping, are freely available on the program’s website. IDNR uses these hunter survey data to respond to legislative and regulatory mandates and to make evidence-based decisions on things such as hunting regulations and wildlife management.
Hunter recruitment program
PRI and IDNR established the Illinois Learn to Hunt program in 2017 to expand Illinois’ hunting industry. This program introduces new and existing adult hunters to deer, turkey, waterfowl, and assorted small game hunting through field-based workshops, webinars, podcasts, and mentored hunts. It also curates a collection of online resources that hunters may find useful, including strategy guides, tutorials, wild game recipes, equipment checklists, and e-learning modules.
Fishing
State, federal, and private entities turn to PRI for actionable information on Illinois sport fishes, especially data that can improve their management of important game species and maximize the efficacy of their invasive carp control measures.
PRI biologists fulfill these critical data needs by conducting long-term monitoring of Illinois’ fish communities in the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and in select lakes and streams. They perform in-depth studies of specific sport fishes including largemouth bass, bluegill, bowfin, and crappie species, and investigate the efficacy of management interventions like stocking practices and harvest regulations.
In cooperation with IDNR, PRI helps provide anglers with the information they need to prepare for and enjoy a successful fishing season in Illinois. This information is served through I Fish Illinois, an online resource that includes fishing tips, profiles of Illinois’ fishable lakes and rivers, fishing reports and programs, licensing regulations, information on fish stocking, and more.
PRI is also at the forefront of invasive carp monitoring and research. Scientists at PRI’s Illinois River, Great Rivers, and Kaskaskia biological stations have studied invasive carp for almost three decades, amassing a wealth of data on the invasion and impact of these destructive fish in Illinois waterways.
Read about the many fish and fisheries-focused programs and projects at PRI’s Illinois Natural History Survey.
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil & Gas Extraction
PRI’s Illinois State Geological Survey provides objective information on the locations of economically important geologic resources in Illinois, including critical minerals, aggregates, and oil and gas.
Critical minerals
Critical minerals are essential components in many advanced national security and renewable energy technologies. Currently, the United States has few domestic supply chains for critical minerals, leaving the country heavily reliant on foreign, often unstable sources.
The U.S. Geological Survey, ISGS, and other state geological surveys have come together through the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) to identify potential critical mineral sources in the United States. ISGS is leading regional geochemical reconnaissance, subsurface mapping, and new airborne geophysical surveys to locate critical minerals — particularly rare earth elements — in and around Illinois.
PRI geologists are also evaluating the occurrence of strategic elements in coal, coal-based resources, and waste streams from coal use in and around the Illinois Basin.
Read more about PRI’s critical minerals research.
Aggregate resources
Illinois’ aggregate and construction industries rely on PRI as the sole objective source for information about the location and quality of the sand, gravel, and crushed stone resources that are essential for transportation infrastructure projects. PRI scientists inventory these resources and maintain a repository of data for present and future exploration. Data on aggregate quality are particularly important for the Illinois Department of Transportation, which uses stringent quality tests before aggregates may be used on state roads.
Oil & gas
The oil and gas (petroleum) industry and regulatory agencies save time, effort, and resources by using PRI’s Illinois Oil and Gas Resources mapping application (ILOIL). ILOIL users can view the distribution of nearly 200,000 Illinois oil and gas drilling records as well as producing horizons; sample and core information; core analysis reports; structure contours; waterflood areas; and oil, gas, and gas storage fields.
PRI also conducts exploratory geologic research on the oil-bearing strata of Illinois in cooperation with the oil industry. This research has demonstrated innovative methods to extract oil and natural gas more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Real Estate & Insurance
Through its extensive mapping efforts, PRI has amassed land and hazard data that are vital to the operations of Illinois’ real estate and insurance industries.
Legal property descriptions
Real estate and insurance industries look to ISGS for the legal locations and descriptions of land in Illinois, mapped according to the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) — the surveying system that subdivides and describes all land in the United States. Using Illinois PLSS information, real estate and insurance professionals can systematically identify and locate particular tracts of land.
Property hazards
PRI also provides insurance and title companies, banks, and consumers with targeted data on property hazards like floods, earthquakes, and mine subsidence.
Flooding is common in Illinois, making up more than 90% of the state’s declared natural disasters. PRI’s Coordinated Hazard Assessment and Mapping Program assists with planning and mitigation efforts by producing flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) for Illinois counties. Insurance professionals use these maps to determine flood insurance requirements and rates. Additionally, state agencies use FIRMs for regulatory purposes, while communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program use them to guide floodplain management.
Though Illinois is not often considered a hotbed of earthquake activity, it is flanked by two major seismic zones and averages five small-magnitude earthquakes annually. Geologists at PRI collect the subsurface and structural information needed to help forecast how homes, buildings, and infrastructure in Illinois will withstand these events.
Mine subsidence is of particular concern in Illinois, given the abundance of abandoned coal mines in the state — more than 7,400 are known in central and southern Illinois — and the cost of damages. Real estate agents, insurance companies, banks, engineers, and developers alike use PRI’s interactive Coal Mines in Illinois Viewer (ILMINES) to determine whether properties are undermined and thus at risk for mine subsidence.
Learn more about PRI’s work on natural and human-made hazards.