Cyrus Mark (June 3, 1900 – February 8, 1983) was a prominent early advocate of nature conservancy in the state of Illinois.
He was instrumental in the first Nature Conservancy acquisition in the Chicago area; Volo Bog.
[1] Mark, botanist Dr. Margery Carlson, the secretary of the Illinois chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and many others raised almost 1300 contributions from organizations and individuals (including teachers and students) to cover the cost of the acquisition.
Mark employed many strategies in his fund-raising efforts from emphasizing the scientific and educational values of the land, to pointing out that contributions were tax-deductible.
[1] Mark was the son of Clayton Mark, one of the pioneer makers of steel pipe in the United States and the founder of Marktown, a planned worker community listed on the National Register of Historic Places.