ComEd and Openlands have teamed up to award grants to 26 municipalities, park districts and forest preserves in northern Illinois.

It is the sixth year the two have partnered for this Green Region Program, which has donated more than $1.1 million for environmental projects.

ComEd provides funding and Openlands, a conservation organization, administers the program.

Among those receiving grants are:

Prairie Park Restoration in the village of Frankfort: $3,700 to remove invasive species, encourage the return of native plants and pollinators, and educate visitors about the importance of native plants in this area.

The Oak Restoration project at Irons Oaks, a joint effort with the Homewood Flossmoor Park District and Irons Oaks: $10,000 to improve habitat for pollinators, and the planting and protection of young oak trees. It will educate visitors about the importance of oak forests for pollinator support.

The Pollinator Meadows project: $8,500 to establish areas to enhance monarch butterfly habitat near Oak Forest’s commuter train station. Educational signage will inform the public about pollinators and pollinator conservation and provide links to additional resources available online.

Tallgrass Prairie Restoration at Prairie Bluff Preserve in the Forest Preserve District of Will County: $10,000 to establish native plants, control invasive plant species, and provide a feeding ground and buffer habitat for the federally endangered Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly in the adjacent dolomite prairie preserve.

Following the interest in pollinator conservation during the 2017 grant cycle, the 2018 ComEd Green Region Program again featured a special focus on projects that help pollinators like butterflies and bees, which provide crucial support to the region’s flowering and food plant populations, according to a news release issued by Com Ed and Openlands.

“By advancing green initiatives through the Green Region Program, we help enable grant recipients to transform their local communities,” Fidel Marquez, senior vice president of governmental and external affairs at ComEd said in the release. “Our partnership with Openlands these past six years helps both the environment and helps our customers to enjoy their communities even more.”

“At Openlands, we believe nature is vital to all people and that everyone should have access to parks, trails, and green space close to home,” said Openlands President and CEO Jerry Adelmann in the release.

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Twitter @SusanLaff