 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
Region 2 office relocated The Department of Natural Resources' Region 2 office has moved from its old location in Spring Grove to a new office at Tri-County State Park in Bartlett. The new address is: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Region 2 Office, 2050 West Steams Road. Bartlett, IL 60103. Telephone (847)608-3100. Waterfowlers honored for volunteer work Carlyle Lake Waterfowlers Association recently was honored as recipient of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Canvasback Award. The Department of Natural Resources nominated the waterfowl group for the assistance it provided in restoring a large unit of the Carlyle Lake Wildlife Management Area (CLWMA), which now is used by migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. The area totals nearly 9,300 acres of bottomland wetlands, timber and croplands and provides valuable wildlife habitat for a wide variety of animals year-round. The area is owned by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and managed by DNR. CLWMA's subimpoundments Nos. 1-4, along with an area east of the Kaskaskia River, are managed to optimize wildlife as well as hunter usage. However, due to major levee failure, subimpoundment No. 3 has been unmanageable, resulting in less-than-desirable vegetative conditions and water levels during migration periods. The Waterfowlers Association provided equipment (a bulldozer and scraper) and more than 1,000 hours of manpower to repair the broken levees, thus enabling DNR to retain control of water levels within the 312-acre unit. Habitat that once was deemed marginal is now optimum as the result of planned management. Local and migrating wildlife are the beneficiaries of this partnering effort between sportsmen and government. The Carlyle Lake Waterfowl Association has been active with issues concerning CLWMA since the early 1980s. The award was presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture Management Board. Duck Ranch waterfowl area dedicated The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. recently dedicated the Duck Ranch Waterfowl Management Unit hunting and waterfowl rest area, which is adjacent to the Illinois River in Marshall and Putnam counties and part of the Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area. The ceremony also included a groundbreaking for a waterfowl habitat enhancement project at Weis Lake on the Cameron Unit of the Illinois River National Wildlife Refuge, a joint initiative of Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Thanks to the work of our staff and the DU volunteers who have been active participants in development of the Duck Ranch Unit, we are celebrating another great example of the benefit of partnerships in enhancing waterfowl management and hunting opportunities in the Illinois River Valley," said DNR Director Brent Manning. "We look forward to continuing our relationship with DU, the Fish and Wildlife Service and others interested in waterfowl habitat enhancement at Duck Ranch, Weis Lake and elsewhere in Illinois." The 356-acre Duck Ranch site was donated to the state in October 2000 by the Richard King Mellon Foundation through The Conservation Fund. Located across the Illinois River from Henry, the site includes 196 acres of woodland and another 160 acres of water, providing habitat for waterfowl and wetland wildlife. Ducks Unlimited has invested $80,000 in habitat improvements at Duck Ranch, with Caterpillar, Inc. providing heavy equipment used to make levee repairs as part of the enhancement project. Waterfowl and forest game hunting are allowed at the site. The wetland habitat enhancement project at Weis Lake was scheduled to begin this fall. The 320-acre backwater lake is located on the west side of the Illinois River between Henry and Sparland in Marshall County. The project will be funded through grants from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Daniel F. And Ada L. Rice Foundation, the Buchanan Family Foundation and Ducks Unlimited's major donors. For more information on the Duck Ranch Unit, contact the Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area at (309) 246-8351. For more information on the Weis Lake project, contact Eric Schenck, regional biologist, Ducks Unlimited at (309) 647-5651, or by email at eschenck@ducks.org. Purple loosestrife workshop Attention teachers! Would your students like to grow plants and raise insects in your 20 OutdoorIllinois classroom? Would they like to become part of a biological control program to control the invasive purple loosestrife? If so, the Illinois Natural History Survey is offering two workshops for the year 2003. The first is set for Jan. 25 at Sand Ridge Nature Center in South Holland (Cook County), and the second will be held Feb. 1 at Volo Bog State Natural Area near McHenry. The workshops are free and Continuing Professional Development Units are offered, along with the items needed to complete the project in the classroom. For more information and to register, contact Susan Post at the Illinois Natural History Survey, (217) 333-4322, or email spost@mail. inhs.uiuc.edu. Grant application deadlines extended The deadline for the submission of applications for Special Fund Grant Programs administered through the Department of Natural Resources has been extended to Dec. 31, 2002, for grants from the Illinois Habitat Fund, State Pheasant Fund and the Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Fund. Applications for the State Furbearer Fund are not being accepted at this time. Habitat and Pheasant Funds can be awarded for habitat projects that propose the protection, acquisition, development or enhancement of habitat management areas; for research projects that address current concerns related to wildlife habitat or contribute to knowledge about the ecology and management of Illinois' wildlife; or for education projects that target members of the general public who do not hunt or trap. Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Funds are for acquisition and development projects for protecting waterfowl and improving public migratory waterfowl areas within the state; for the development of waterfowl propagation areas within the Dominion of Canada or the United States that specifically provide waterfowl for the Mississippi Flyway; and for implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Applications and additional information are available from DNR's Office of Resource Conservation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; phone (217) 782-2602; or on DNR's website at http://dnr.state.il.us/grants/index. htm. Email specialfunds@dnrmail. state.il.us. Resources for deer hunters For information about deer hunting seasons, regulations etc., visit DNR's web-site: http://dnr.state.il.us/admin/systems/index.htm. Note: Some additional locations have been added as archery deer check stations. Visit http://dnr.state.il.us/admin/systems/02/02adarcherycheckstation.pdf. Preliminary fall turkey results Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 1,489 wild turkeys during the 2002 fall firearm turkey season, Oct. 19-27. A total of 43 counties were open for firearm turkey hunting during the 2002 fall season. Among counties with the top harvest totals were: Jo Daviess (157); Pope (73); Marion (70); Union (62); and Fulton (57). The 2001 fall firearm turkey harvest was 1,415. Operator sought for concession facility The Department of Natural Resources is seeking an operator for the concession facility located in Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park near Kewanee in Henry County. As part of a two-year lease agreement, with a two-year option to renew, the concessionaire would be allowed to use the upper level portion of the two-story park concession facility to provide and serve food and non-alcoholic beverages. The kitchen is equipped with cooking appliances. However, the concessionaire would be required to provide all other equipment needed to operate a restaurant facility. The lower level of the concession facility can be used to sell souvenirs, novelties, hunting and fishing licenses, fishing equipment and bait, picnic and camping supplies, as well as to rent boats, canoes, paddle boats and boating equipment. Equipment to operate this portion of the facility would have to be provided by the concessionaire. During the term of the lease, DNR will require that the concession be open and operating for the purpose of serving guests of the park from May 1-Sept. 30 each concession season. For operating hours and additional information, interested parties should contact Jay Nottrott, Johnson-Sauk Trail
December 2002 21
State Park, 27500 N. 1200 Avenue, Kewanee, IL 61443, phone (309) 853-5589, or Lisa Wright, Concession and Lease Management, DNR, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271, phone (217) 785-0759, or email Iwattswright@dnrmail.state.il.us. CWD identified in Illinois Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in a sample from a wild deer near Roscoe in Winnebago County, the Department of Natural Resources confirmed Nov. 1. The young female deer was shot by a landowner in late October because he believed it was ill. DNR Conservation Police officers were contacted and collected the doe for testing at the Illinois Department of Agriculture laboratory in Centralia. A follow-up test conducted Nov. 1 at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the diagnosis. "This is the first positive for CWD from any deer or elk in Illinois, though we've been monitoring and testing for the disease for the past five years," said DNR Director Brent Manning. "Illinois expanded its surveillance efforts earlier this year and created a joint task force with the departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture following the CWD outbreak in southern Wisconsin. "The detection of CWD in Winnebago County is disappointing," Manning continued. "We are committed to a long-term plan of stepped-up surveillance and monitoring and to taking all steps biologically appropriate to control the spread of CWD in Illinois. Deer hunters and those who value the health of wildlife and outdoor recreation in Illinois will continue to play an important role in that process." At press time, extensive testing for the disease was planned for Illinois' firearm deer season. More than 3,500 samples from hunter-harvested deer in 36 counties throughout Illinois were to be collected and tested. Larger numbers of samples from hunter-harvested deer were to be collected in northern Illinois, and additional samples taken from deer control programs in northeastern Illinois where firearm deer hunting is not allowed.
Counties to be sampled for CWD during the 2002 firearm deer hunting season include Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, Whiteside, Rock Island, Bureau, LaSalle, Hancock, Adams, Pike, Fulton, McLean, Vermilion, Sangamon, Maeoupin, Shelby, Fayette, Effingham, Clark, Lawrence, Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, Washington, Randolph, Jefferson, Marion, Williamson, Union, Johnson and Pope. Counties were selected based on a variety of factors, including geographic location, size of deer population and the number of facilities with captive deer or elk. "Once we get test results back from our expanded surveillance efforts, the task force will be able to evaluate the extent of the disease in Illinois and the necessary steps to control the disease," Manning said. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease found in deer and elk. The disease affects the brains of infected animals, causing them to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose coordination and eventually die. It is not known to be contagious to livestock or humans. CWD has been diagnosed in wild, free-ranging deer and elk, as well as in captive animals in a number of western states and earlier this year was found in neighboring Wisconsin and Minnesota. A task force, comprised of key staff from both agencies, has been working for months to develop plans to address surveillance of wild deer and captive herds, import and export of deer and elk and a planned 22 OutdoorIllinois response to a potential CWD outbreak in Illinois. The importation of hunter-harvested deer and elk is being limited, the importation of live animals has been restricted and the feeding of wild deer has been banned. A DNR rule bans the importation of hunter-harvested deer and elk carcasses into Illinois, except for deboned meat, antlers, antlers attached to skull caps, hides, upper canine teeth and finished taxidermist mounts. Skull caps must be cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue. This action prevents hunters from bringing potentially diseased animals into Illinois and discarding their parts in a manner that could result in contamination of Illinois' deer herd. The Department has banned the feeding of wild deer and other wildlife in areas where wild deer are present. The ban includes food, salt, mineral blocks and other food products, with some exceptions. For example, bird and squirrel feeders close to homes and incidental feeding of wildlife within active livestock operations, are exempt from the ban. For a complete list of the exemptions see the rule on the Department's website. The Department also has implemented regulations to minimize the threat of chronic wasting disease entering Illinois through the interstate transportation of captive deer and elk and to monitor captive herds already in Illinois. DNR shares responsibility with the Department of Agriculture in regulating captive deer and elk on game farms. DNR's new rule complements new regulations being adopted by the agriculture department for diseased animals. For updated information about chronic wasting disease, including answers to frequently asked questions and the Department's rules, visit DNR's web-site: http://dnr.state.il.us/pubaffairs/2002/CWD.htm. Meth lab causes explosion at Sangchris A camping trailer reportedly being used for the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine exploded at Sangchris Lake State Park Oct. 17, injuring its two occupants. Conservation Police report two individuals from Charleston received burns in the explosion, resulting in one man being hospitalized. The man later checked himself out of the hospital and was being sought on prior warrants. Authorities towed his truck, two motorcycles and the shell of the camper. The Christian County Sheriff's office is conducting an investigation. World's biggest goose calling event slated Avery Outdoors will sponsor the 7th annual Avery International Goose Calling Invitational and Waterfowl Hunt, January 3-5 in Marion. Don't miss the world's biggest calling event with the sport's richest prize purse—$12,500—on Saturday night, Jan. 4. The contest and hunt, coordinated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF) and the Williamson County Tourism Bureau, will feature world-class goose callers, including Richie McKnight, Kelley Powers, Brandon Fletcher, Troy Dishner, Sean Mann, Kevin Popo, Allan Stanley, Mark Carey and John Pasoni. It's also the only event of its kind that combines a championship goose calling contest with an actual hunt, all designed to raise money for future youth waterfowl hunting events in Illinois.
For only $750, hunters get two nights private accommodations, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, a Friday night dinner and pairings party, two days of waterfowl hunting (including pit fees and Hevi-Shot ammo) with world champion goose callers and a commemorative gift. Proceeds from the event will benefit the ICF, an IRS 501(c)(3) approved organization, which earmarks the money to support youth waterfowl hunting opportunities and youth education programs. A portion of the cost of each participant's hunt is deductible for federal income tax purposes. Each hunter's registration is an investment in the future of the sport, outdoor recreation and most importantly, our children. For more information, call DNR Special Events at (217) 785-8955 or email events@dnr mail.state.il.us.
December 2002 23 |
|
State Library |
