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OutdoorIllinois

VOLUME X, NUMBER 1

OUTDOOR ILLINOIS is published monthly by the Department of Natural Resources, Office of Public Services, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1787, phone (217) 782-7454, e-mail editor@dnrmail.state-il.us.

(Publication number ISSN 1072-7175)
Periodical Postage Paid at Springfield, IL
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OUTDOOR ILLINOIS, Department of Natural Resources, Dept. NL, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1787.

George H. Ryan Governor
Brent Manning Director
James D. Garner Deputy Director
Jim Riemer, Jr. Deputy Director

STAFF: James L. Futgenzi, office director; Gary Thomas, editor; Liz Pensoneau, managing editor; John Allen, staff writer; P.J. Perea, staff writer; Adele Hodde, chief photographer: Chas. J. Dees, staff photographer; Charles J. Copley, design & layout; Cheryi Gwinn, production coordinator; Vera Lynn Smith, circulation.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Internet Address: http://dnr.state.il.us

Staff-written material appearing in this publication may be reprinted without permission, provided that OUTDOOR ILLINOIS, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, is acknowledged as the source. OUTDOOR ILLINOIS assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or illustrations.

Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and those funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies is available to all individuals regardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion or other non-merit factors. If you believe you have been discriminated against, contact the funding source's civil rights office and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, DNR, 524 S. Second, Springfield, IL 62701-1787; 217/785-0067; TTY 217/782-9175.

All public meetings conducted by the Department of Natural Resources will be accessible to handicapped individuals in compliance with Executive Order No. 5 and pertinent state and federal laws, upon notification of the anticipated attendance. Handicapped persons planning to attend and needing special accommodations should inform the Department of Natural Resources at least five days prior to the meeting by telephoning or writing the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, Department of Natural Resources, 524 S. Second SL, Springfield, IL 62701-1787, phone (217) 785-0067.

Department ol Natural Resources information is available to the hearing impaired by calling DNR's Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (217) 782-9175.

Printed by the Authority of the State of Illinois PRT3216173-27,849-12/01 Illinois Department of Natural Resources Printed on recycled and recyclable paper with soy-based ink. The Communicator

Natural resources

Illinois
Department of


Natural
Resources

What'sInside

Fake geese
2
Chase those Wintertime Blues (and Snows)!
The light goose conservation order extends opportunities for waterfowl hunters.
Geese
6
Thank the Hunter
More than five dozen Prairie State sites receive Pittman-Robertson dollars through Illinois' W-76-D program.
Ice skaters
9
Baby, It's Cold Outside
What you need to know to avoid becoming a winter weather health statistic.
Deer hunter
12
Deer and Turkey Condo
At HIGGDISAW Hunting Club, being in a blind can be likened to hunting from your living room, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen.
Boat on Coffeen Lake
15
Central Illinois Treasure
Coffeen Lake has everything an outdoor sportsman could ask for.
Painting of geese
20
NewsFront
We'll give you this year's deer harvest numbers, tell you about largemouth bass virus, give you the dates for Endangered Species Protection Board meetings, tell you how to win an original Maynard Reece wildlife painting and how you can attend this year's Conservation Hall of Fame banquet, and inform you about our editor's retirement in NewsFront.

On the cover...

David Hammond, Goreville, took this month's cover photograph of Canada geese sitting amidst an icy pond at the Union County Wildlife Refuge near Jonesboro.

January 2002 OutdoorIlinois


UpFront

Brent Manning

When the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, the roles and responsibilities of police agencies throughout the nation changed, possibly forever. While most people probably don't think of Conservation Police Offiicers as participants in homeland security measures, these uniquely trained and equipped officers can play a role that would be difficult for other agencies to fill. After the country was placed on a heightened state of awareness by President Bush, citizens quickly responded by calling police agencies to report suspicious activities. "White powder" reports by the hundreds came in to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. None in Illinois turned out to be related to terrorist activity. However, police must respond, especially during this continuing period of heightened alert. CPO's have statewide police authority in all areas of state law. Reports of suspicious activity on our major rivers, especially around bridges, have resulted in calls for CPO assistance because they have access to boats, ATVs and four-wheel-drive vehicles, along with the specialized training necessary to deploy these resources quickly.

In one instance, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency reported a suspicious person who had been on an island three miles south of Quincy in the Mississippi River for several days. Directly opposite the island is a chemical plant with a large ammonia storage tank right on the river. A CPO was dispatched to investigate. The man was an official camped on the island to note the passing of participants in a canoe race. Another report alleged that a man with a bomb was in a boat near a bridge. Officers located the individual, who was a Canadian tourist carrying camera equipment.

Numerous other calls to check on river activities have brought similar results, but no other police agency has the capability to respond in a timely manner to these areas.

Our staff is working with our state's Director of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard and the Chicago Police Department's Marine Unit to provide maximum coverage for the Chicago lakefront. In a shining example of how federal, state and local law enforcement agencies can join forces in a time of crisis, these agencies are scheduling water and shore patrols to maximize coverage with minimum overlap.

Our Lake Michigan Enforcement Unit usually has its two 36-foot and one 27-foot patrol boats out of the water in winter storage by now, but will continue to conduct patrols as long as the lake remains open through the winter. CPOs also have been conducting water and shore patrols in the vicinity of the Zion nuclear power station. Elsewhere, CPOs are assisting with patrols around nuclear power plants.

Like all police agencies, the Illinois Conservation Police stand ready to respond when called upon and are proud to do their part in helping to provide for the safety of the citizens of Illinois.

CPO

January 2002 OutdoorIlinois


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