Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area is a 66-acre protected area in the Kankakee River Basin of northeastern Illinois, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of a larger effort to restore habitat in a landscape once marked by extensive marsh and riverine systems. Planned beginning in 1996, authorized in 2000, and finally established with a donated parcel accepted in 2016, it reflects a public-private conservation model linked to surrounding communities and working lands. Its oak savanna, grasslands, wooded areas, and riparian wetlands support resident and migratory wildlife, while management emphasizes restoration through burns, habitat work, invasive-species control, and partnerships with private landowners.