JESSICA C. WEBER - A free-lance writer living in Southern Illinois, she was formerly a reporter with The State Journal-Register.

State parklands Department of Conservation wrestles with use problems

Randolph County
Conservation Area

HIKE through cool mossy paths rimmed by huge mysterious rock formations -- the "giants" that give Giant City State Park its name. Fish for catfish, crappie or bass at Kickapoo Lakes, or one of 50 other public waters. Wander through another century at the reconstructed Mormon city of Nauvoo or Lincoln's New Salem State Village. Speculate about why prehistoric Indians built Cahokia Mounds.

Whatever your inclinations, Illinois offers a rich smorgasbord of outdoor leisure-time activities. The state's size and geographic diversity as well as intelligent acquisition and management of public properties contribute to the variety.

The trouble with the Illinois smorgasbord is that there is just too little of many of the dishes, and that trouble has been aggravated by the public's increasing interest in outdoor activity. Outdoor enthusiasts long have known this. The sufficiently affluent travel long distances, often to other states, to indulge their passions for hiking, canoeing or the like. The poor make do with what is nearby, and, if nothing is nearby, may never discover the lure of open spaces. The Illinois Department of Conservation (DOC), the agency responsible for state-owned recreational facilities, has also been aware of the problem and has had some success in improving the situation.

In 1969 DOC owned or leased 204,589 acres of recreational land: 18.4 acres for every 1,000 persons in Illinois. Working aggressively to get more land, the department has increased this acreage to 306,443 acres: 27.2 acres for every 1,000 residents. This dramatic 47.5 per cent increase in state recreation land per person over the last nine years was achieved at a cost of over $57 million.

Land and money limited

Acquisition alone isn't going to solve the problem, however, because the amount of land available in Illinois is limited, as is the money to buy it. And DOC predicts increases of 40 to 50 per cent by 1995 in the number of people participating in nearly every kind of outdoor recreation.

To meet this increasing demand, DOC is engaged in a massive inventory and planning effort designed to make the most of the state's limited resources suggest project is the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). SCORP is the product of a continuous planning process required by the Heritage Conservative and Recreation Service (HCRS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

HCRS has approved Illinois' draft SCORP. This means the state continues to be eligible to receive $14 million annually in land and water conservation funds, the fifth highest state allocation in fiscal year 1979. These funds are spent at the state and local level to buy and develop recreational land.

Illinois has strengthened its commitment to outdoor recreation by electing to change from HCRS "Option 1 eligibility" — submitting a SCORP every five years — to "Option II," continuous planning over the five-year period with updates and annual progress reports. The purpose of the change

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is to have a more up-to-date, flexible and get more public participation.

Although SCORP deals with outdoor recreation, the "conservation ethic" is emphasized. Where development for recreational purposes may interfere with preservation of the unique natural or cultural features of a site, DOC will give priority to conservation and preservation.

SCORP emphasizes that today's decisions will determine tomorrow's potential: "What Illinois decides [about land use] in the immediate future, either through action or inaction, will set unalterable patterns that will determine the type and quality of environment in which this generation and all future generations will have to live," the report says "Succeeding generations will have little, if any, choice about the quantity and quality of their living environment unless their choice is to diminish it even further. ..."

SCORP also emphasizes the need to look ahead now because "those resources which are not acquired for public preservation and use in the near future will in most cases be lost forever." For example, the recently completed Illinois Natural Areas Inventory shows that only 124 of the 1,089 natural areas identified by the inventory are adequately protected, while 50 per cent of all these areas face some current threat to their natural quality. Illinois today has less than one one-thousandth of 1 per cent of its original forest and prairie acreage intact.

DOC is using data from the inventory to develop a Statewide Natural Areas Plan which will identify methods of preserving representative examples of Illinois' original natural heritage. Inventory data also goes to local governments private interest to help their preservation efforts.

Plans for action in the various areas covered by SCORP boil down to two major efforts: (1) acquiring more land where possible; and (2) developing and managing what land there is for the efficient use.

The variety of Illinois resources tends to obscure the fact that the state is poor in terms of public land for recreation.Only about 5 per cent of the state's land publicly owned (compared to 50 per cent or more in some states), and there isn't much more land available. Illinois' rich soils are cultivated to the last available inch, and land that isn't taken up by crops is often covered with industrial development and urban sprawl.

DOC's efforts to acquire land will be guided by two inventories: a "cultural sites" inventory completed two years ago and a natural areas inventory completed this November. As the names imply, the inventories attempt to list everything available in the state in the way of historic, archeological and architectural sites and unspoiled forest and prairie land. While making the inventories, DOC turned up land and wildlife it was unaware of, including a species of red squirrel thought to be extinct in Illinois and several parcels of pristine prairie. The inventories help the department expend its limited funds on the best available example in any given category.

A further challenge is acquiring land that is located where people can use it. Much of the state's open and scenic land is in rural areas far from the urban North where the bulk of the population lives. An inadequate public transportation system makes this an important consideration. Efforts to acquire land must also buck the economic realities of the state. Ironically, the strong industrial and agricultural economy Illinois enjoys has directly contributed to the lack of development of public recreation. Given these lucrative sources of income, the legislature has not felt the need to go after the tourist dollar. States which do go after it — like Wisconsin, Missouri and Michigan — give high priority to recreational development. Illinoisans have tended to view such amenities as development of hiking trails and preservation of scenic waterways as a frivolous waste of money rather than a sound investment in the state's economy. These limitations on land acquisition make it very important for the state to use what land it does have in an efficient way.

Recreation uses conflict

The first step for DOC is to decide what the best use is. Some uses of land are mutually exclusive — snowmobiling and quiet contemplation of a winter landscape, for instance, or motor home camping and primitive (tent-and-camp- fire) camping. But even an ordinary activity like picnicking can spoil an historic area or an untouched stand of forest.

To resolve such conflicts, the department developed a system of classifying state-owned properties. The system divides the properties into eight groups based on the inherent characteristics of the site with the dominant use of each area specifically defined. The plan will be made public for explanation and discussion, then written in bill form to go before the legislature, probably in 1979.

Uses for about 100 major properties will be further defined by detailed individual land management plans. About a fourth of these were completed this summer.

The new classification system will not abruptly change the character of existing sites, according to Ed Hoffman, supervisor of the DOC research and planning section, nor will it preclude multiple use of sites. Any changes in sites already being used will be made gradually. Future acquisitions will be the ones most affected by the plan.

For example, in the case of an historic site such as Nauvoo, the emphasis will be on preservation. Other activities in the area, such as picnicking and camping will be relegated to the fringes of the area.

At an archeological site such as Cahokia Mounds, the emphasis will be on keeping the site as nearly as possible as it originally appeared, even though that might mean removing some trees which add beauty and comfort to the area.

A second step is to develop recreational

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lands so they are accessible and easy to use. DOC might build more fishing piers along Lake Michigan, for example, or construct warming sheds to make nature trails more attractive to winter sportsmen. But the DOC must decide how much development of any given areas is in keeping with the conservation ethic and the area's place in the general plan. For example, some campers prefer their campsites unimproved, and DOC maintains sites for "primitive camping," equipped only with outhouses. There are such sites in several state parks, including Sam Parr in southeastern Illinois, Mississippi Palisades in northwestern Illinois and Pere Marquette on the Mississippi River.

Taken as a whole, SCORP is comprehensive in scope but uneven in detail. Some chapters are quite specific with fully developed plans for implementing programs while others are general and rather vague.

The section on the handicapped and aging is one of the more complete sections. Provisions include hiring a handicapped person as program coordinator — which has been done — and starting a training program for all DOC staff directly or indirectly involved in delivery of services. In addition, the plan calls for getting more information to the public about the sites, making accessibility surveys and renovating facilities. Ultimately, the plan calls for facilities which are easy for everyone to use, without singling out the handicapped, and for a control program to insure that the plan is working. Although SCORP does not set priorities, the recreation needs of the handicapped and aging are a high priority of the DOC, according to Hoffman, for both legal and moral reasons.

Wildlife is considered

Another detailed section in SCORP concerns wildlife. Time is a crucial factor here. A study conducted in Jasper County showed that grasslands and brushy fencerows decreased by 84 per cent between 1939 and 1974. As a result, prairie chickens are extinct in the area; the number of bobwhites has gone down 88 per cent, and the number of cottontails has declined 96 per cent.

Provisions for wildlife would continue and expand DOC's already extensive activities, such as providing seeds and seedlings for ground cover free or at cost and giving technical assistance in maintaining wildlife habitats. Other ways to conserve habitat and encourage private landowners to take part in the program are also considered.

There are dozens of sites in the state where wildlife flourishes; one of the most striking is the four-county area in southwestern Illinois where a half-million geese make their summer home. Horseshoe Lake in Alexander County is the focal point of this area, which is also rich in deer and other wildlife.

A detailed section on urban recreation shows DOC is trying to solve the complex problem of urban outdoor recreation. The problem is complex

'One major emphasis of future SCORP planning will be to make the plan a document which accurately reflects the recreation needs and concerns of all Illinois citizens'

because open spaces and preserved natural areas are not generally found in urban areas, and many city residents are too poor to travel.

SCORP outlines some changes in the way land and water conservation funds will be distributed to permit a larger share to go to urban areas, but this alone will not solve the problem. The plan has some intriguing suggestions, however, such as allowing fishing in municipal swimming pools in the fall, increasing opportunities for community gardening and considering unused portions of cemeteries as a source of open space. It also calls for DOC to hire an urban recreation specialist to help local governments in urban areas — if the General Assembly appropriates the necessary funds. These steps, though modest, mark a major increase in DOC's concern about the recreation needs of Illinois' urban residents.

There is a short section devoted to Chicago, but the plan does not deal specifically with the metro-east St. Louis area, a portion of the state notably lacking in recreational facilities. This area presents special problems, Hoffman said. Land and water conservation funds are granted on a 50 per cent matching, reimbursable basis for specific projects: that is, the local area pays half the cost, and it must spend all the money before getting the government's 50 percent. Poor communities just don't have that kind of money. The urban recreation specialist will be directed to give first attention to areas in greatest need, Hoffman said, and part of the job will be trying to find sources of "upfront" money for communities that can't raise it.

Another important area inadequately treated by SCORP is trails. Hiking and bicycling are popular activities because they are comparatively cheap and require little skill. But most of Illinois is sadly lacking in suitable trails. Nationwide, the number of bicyclers in 1977 was three times the number in 1960. Illinois has about 600 miles of bike trails, some 45 per cent in the north- eastern urban counties. SCORP programs for trails are sketchy and general but work is underway on a more comprehensive trails plan, which may include a recommendation for a state wide trails system.

DOC is also working on plans rivers and streams — another areas is inadequately treated in SCORP. It's a subject that will require considerable study, Hoffman said, because of IlIinois laws on ownership and responsibility for waterways. He characterized? laws as "wierd" — antiquated and conflicting. He said these laws have prevented the state from protecting its scenic waterways and have restricted the accessibility of rivers and streams for canoeing and other water sports. Access to such idyllic canoeing waters as the Vermilion River near Oglesby or the Apple River in Jo Daviess County is limited by private ownership of the surrounding lands.

A bill (H.B. 1718) to provide a mechanism for protecting some scenic stretches of Illinois rivers and wetlands was defeated in committee this Spring Similar bills have been defeated in past legislative sessions due mainly to strong opposition from the agricultural and mining communities.

Perhaps the most controversial subject treated in SCORP is the use of offroad vehicles such as snowmobiles and motorbikes. This was the one topic in report to draw some heated response from the public. Motorcycle association officials claimed the vehicles don't get a

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That would seem to limit off-road vehicle use rather severely, and in fact, Illinois has few public facilities for cyclists and snowmobilers. There are about 750 miles of trails and roads for motorcycles, nearly all in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, a federal preserve. And, in the northern counties there are 185 miles of trails here snowmobiling is permitted, including Silver Springs State Park in Kendall County and Big River State Forest in Henderson County. There are No state-owned open spaces where driviing off-road vehicles is permitted, though DOC is working on the possibility of getting access to private lands for these vehicles.

Overall, SCORP does a very good job of outlining problems and issues. Its major weaknesses area lack of priorities and a lack of specific programs for implementing plans in some areas.

DOC is working to remedy the deficiencies and has completed a first- year work plan, according to Don Weathers, supervisor of the division of planning and design. The work plan includes final editing and publication of SCORP, public participation in the planning process, and more work in three areas previously discussed: natural and cultural heritage, rivers and streams, and trails.

Planning to include public

Public participation in the 1977 plan was limited to sending about 600 questionnaires with selected portions of the plan to government agencies, civic clubs, regional planning commissions and environmental and special interest groups. The questionnaires went out when plans were nearly finished, and DOC did not make a systematic effort to involve all the recreational interests in the state in deciding issues that should be studied. As a result, groups outside the DOC had little influence on the final plan.

DOC recognizes that there must be more public involvement in the planning process and is launching a major effort to increase public participation in the future. According to Judy Groves, who was recently hired to direct the public participation program for SCORP, the department plans to create a SCORP Panel of Advisors who will work with the department on a continuing basis. SCORP will also be publicized through the media, and there will be frequent meetings between DOC planners and organizations interested in outdoor recreation, she said.

David Kenney, DOC director, explains that: "One major emphasis of future SCORP planning will be to make the plan a document which accurately reflects the recreation needs and concerns of all Illinois citizens."

Since SCORP activities involve funding from both the state legislature and the federal government as well as cooperation from a long list of federal, state and local agencies and private landowners and businesses, a key question must be raised: How likely is the plan to be implemented?

Cooperation and funding cannot be guaranteed, of course, particularly over the five-year period covered by SCORP. And the plan is highly vulnerable to changes in priorities, administrations and other circumstances. Hoffman said, however, that at the present time, SCORP represents a firm commitment by the DOC, and the governor's office has indicated SCORP is in line with Gov. James R. Thompson's current plans and policies.

How much of the plan will be used depends partly on how well DOC planners implement the programs and build public support — and partly on unpredictable political and economic factors.

Despite SCORP's shortcomings, it is apparent that the actions it proposes would greatly enhance recreational opportunities in Illinois and better protect natural resources. And even if only parts of the plan are realized, the "giants" will continue to inspire awe in Giant City State Park, and a half- million geese will still winter at Horseshoe Lake.

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