[2] The board is made up of six naturalists including at least one botanist, two zoologists, and two ecologists.
[2] Board members are volunteers,[3] and as of 2019[update] include Jeff Walk of The Nature Conservancy,[3] ichthyologist Philip Willink,[3] Joyce Hofmann (chair), Janice Coons (vice-chair), Tracy Evans (secretary), ornithologist Angelo P. Capparella [species], Bruce Ross-Shannon, Jeremie Fant, Randy Schietzelt, Chris Young from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (non-voting member), and one vacancy.
[1] Only twenty species ever listed have had Illinois Endangered and Threatened Species Recovery Plans approved by the board, but other parties may implement recovery plans without board approval.
[6] Examples of plans implemented by other parties include that for Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) headed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service[7][8] and Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) headed by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
[9][10] Species with approved recovery plans are: eryngium stem borer (Papaipema eryngii), golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli), American snowbell (Styrax americana), bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), barn owl (Tyto alba), beardtongue (Penstemon tubaeflorus), bloodleaf (Iresine rhizomatosa), creeping St. Johnwort (Hypericum adpressum), eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana), greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), halberd leaf tearthumb (Polygonum arifolium/Tracaulon arifolium), leatherflower (Clematis viorna), marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris), mud-plantain (Heteranthera reniformis), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), osprey (Pandion haliaetus), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), road-winged sedge (Carex alata), royal catchfly (Silene regia), and short-eared owl (Asio flammeus).