Campers in west central Illinois next spring might be lucky to hear a kay, kay, kaykay sound in the woods of Tazewell County. Or maybe not.

The distinctive whistling sound is the call of the chorus frog, an amphibian that was once abundant, but now populates the Illinois list of endangered species. With an assist from Illinois taxpayers, conservationists are trying to bring the chorus frog back from the brink of extinction.

The frog is one of many at-risk species being helped by the generosity of Illinois taxpayers. Ten years ago the General Assembly enacted the income tax checkoff program, designed to allow taxpayers to contribute money to a variety of worthy causes by checking a box on their income tax form and designating a portion of their refund to a particular project. Over the years, the checkoffs have yielded more than $7 million for 18 different projects, ranging from aiding victims of AIDS and child abuse to finding jobs for Gulf war veterans and shelter for the homeless.

For many, the checkoff dollars have become the lifeblood for keeping vital services or projects alive. The program is, in a sense, government by altruism.

Through the tax checkoffs, a woman with sleep apnea in East St. Louis will be able to keep an oxygen machine that was to be repossessed and a Lake County man with a rare lung disease was able to receive a specialized portable oxygen system enabling him to leave his house.

The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau was able to publish a free visitors guide to bald eagle watching. The guide features information on bald eagles, eagle etiquette, a map of prime eagle-watching sites and information on special eagle-watching events. "The checkoffs program was one of the only ways we could have gotten this out," Joe Taylor of the visitors bureau said. "A bald eagle is one of the most endangered species in the state." The Quad Cities has already been awarded a $1,000 grant for next year to print 20,000 copies of an updated version of the guide.

Income tax checkoff individual programs, by fiscal year (threshold of $100,000 must be received to qualify for the next year)   1983 1984 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Veteran's home $178,283 $124,149 $ 68,499           Wildlife 259,971 227,946 171,291 $200,200 $205,874 $234,116 $239,969 $234,220 $175,802 Child abuse prevention 498,336 353,406 240,052 266,836 296,129 321,694 285,976 273,728 182,395 Food/Housing aid   116,208 79,121           Mental health education     56,416           Alzheimer's research     114,850 173,026 164,603 169,823 169,783 185,781 103,650 U.S.Olympic         82,629       Aid to blind         84,427       Heritage preservation           49,495 33   Aid to homeless             263,988 280,480 178,184 Child care             77,720 165 Community health center             60,058 287 Gulf war vets                 15,922 1992 Olympians                 33,816 Rehabilitation technology                 28,764 AIDS victims                 96,676 Domestic violence                 54,588 Drug abuse prevention                 75.991 Total $936,591 $821,711 $730,231 $640,062 $833,664 $766,129 $1,097,530 $974,663 $945,792 Source: Illinois Department of Revenue

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This guide was financed by the Wildlife Conservation Fund, one of the checkoff programs that apparently has won a special place in the hearts of taxpayers, as well as a spot on their tax returns. Originally known as the Non-Game Wildlife Conservation Fund, the wildlife fund is one of two surviving charter members of the checkoff program (the other is the Child Abuse Prevention Fund). The wildlife fund has received nearly $2 million in taxpayer donations over the past decade.

The Wildlife Conservation Fund has an eclectic variety of projects. "We have a menu of proposals and projects that are a combination of internal and external input. We look for projects that benefit the citizens and the environment," said Carl Becker, chief of the Department of Conservation's division of natural heritage and chairman of the 11-member committee that oversees the disposition of the contributions.

This year the fund is helping finance over 30 projects at a total cost of nearly $ 140,000. As of August 31 the fund has received $161,405 from 18,585 contributors. Each checkoff program must garner $100,000 in contributions to stay eligible for listing on Illinois tax returns.

Among the projects funded this year by the wildlife fund is a $5,000 grant given to a group of biologists to search for one of Illinois' rarest animals, the eastern woodrat. These animals appear to be limited to the rocky bluffs of Pine Hills in Union County. The purpose of the project is to locate nest sites and mark them so researchers can monitor the population and movement of these animals.

Another project will use $3,200 to survey the status of the river cooter, a rare turtle that inhabits the backwaters of the Wabash and Ohio rivers in Illinois. The turtle is very sensitive to environmental disturbance and therefore makes an excellent barometer of habitat quality. The study would determine the status of the turtles and provide a foundation for a long-term monitoring of the species.

The flood of '93 caused the cancellation of at least one project. Long Island in Adams County, the largest island in the upper Mississippi, was the site of a $3,000 botanical project. The island contains 2,480 acres of old growth woodland and represents what Illinois used to look like before it was settled. A detailed plant survey of the island was under way prior to the flood. The island has since been underwater. A detailed inventory of this island's flora and fauna might lead the state Fish and Wildlife Service to permanently protect the island from unnatural contamination. Becker said plans for continuing the project have been put on hold until the waters recede and the damage can be assessed.

Each checkoff program must garner $100,000 in contributions to stay eligible

One of the largest projects, $20,000, is a survey of the abandoned Joliet Army Plant, a 24,000-acre site, which is the largest undeveloped site in Illinois. The survey would include a complete inventory of the plant and wildlife in the area to determine whether the Department of Conservation should purchase it for use as a natural habitat and possibly a state park.

In the past the Department of Conservation has bought property without undertaking complete surveys, said Deb Carey, a naturalist for the Dixon Park District and member of the committee that oversees the distribution of grants from the wildlife checkoff fund. It is important to first investigate the structure of the land before implementing any trails or the other recreational activities.

One factor contributing to the success of the tax checkoff program for the wildlife fund is that volunteers do most of the work on these projects. According to Carey, "We get a lot of value for the actual funds spent since much of it is done by volunteers." A good example is the Natural Area Guardians, a subcommittee of the soil and water districts throughout the state. In JoDaviess County a grant of $1,000 was awarded to inventory the area's hill prairies. An extensive study will be done on the hills' flora and physiography. By doing all of their own digging, the project coordinators can save money.

"I began three groups [Natural Area Guardians] in the early 1980s," said Carey, to complement the agricultural aspect of the districts. "They have been extremely successful in their volunteer work."

The income tax checkoffs have raised significant sums for a variety of projects each year. More than $185,000 was donated to the Homeless Assistance fund this year enabling it to improve 24 homeless shelters throughout Illinois. Shelters use the money to repair or replace furnaces, to insulate their buildings and to install energy-saving storm doors and windows. The Alzheimer's fund has received more than $100,000 this year. The contributions were distributed to 50 Illinois researchers based on recommendations by the Alzheimer's Disease Act Advisory Committee.

The now defunct Assistive Technology for Persons with Disabilities Fund garnered $32,000 through the 1991 state income tax checkoffs. Harold Koplowitz, a spokesperson for the Department of Rehabilitation Services, said the agency received over $ 1 million in requests for such things as wheelchairs, adaptive computers, communication devices, hearing aids, flashing smoke alarms, teletypewriters (TTYs), ramps and lifts for vans. "We definitely benefitted from the checkoff program," he said. "We came into contact with many people that were in need of assistance that we did not know were out there."

These people were among the many who have benefitted from the tax checkoffs program. Whether it be a study to monitor the chorus frog or a grant to buy new storm doors for a homeless shelter, the Illinois' taxpayers have demonstrated that altruism can be a vital and potent force. *

26/October 1993 /Illinois Issues