FROM THE EDITOR

With so many acres burned and thousands of homes destroyed in the Colorado and Arizona wildfires, prescribed burning advocates here in Illinois may have an even harder time making their case to the public.

Or will they?

According to Dale Goodner, supervisor of environmental services for the Peoria Park District, these catastrophic wildfires make the case for better land management and restoration efforts, which include prescribed burns.

"You can't blame the size of the fire (in Colorado) on the woman who lit it," says Goodner. "Smokey the Bear has a lot to do with the blame for this."

"Fire suppression has a different implication in Colorado than in Illinois, because out there the fuel accumulates and what we're seeing here is 100 years of fire suppression...when it does burn it's huge."

The fuel Goodner is talking about is all the forest debris, leaves and plants, that remain over time. In his article on page 23, "A Watershed Concept," Goodner shares Peoria's nature preserve management efforts to actually restore the leaves, flowers, stems, roots and fruits—or biomass—in the forests along the Illinois River. Because for years—without this biomass thatch to "bind and hold the soil in place and protect it from washing away"—erosion has taken a devastating toll on the forest landscape and contributed to the "17,000 truckloads of silt each day" that make it into the river.

More watershed management strategies are shared by Jennifer Hammer of The Conservation Foundation, on page 31. And the top water regulator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources sums up the state of the state's water supply on page 34.

This October 18 marks the 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and we're actually in the midst of "The Year of Clean Water" with all sorts of national summits and celebrations planned (www.yearofclean water.org).

I raise a glass to all who are working to better our water resources. And I truly wonder how you sleep at night, knowing all that you know.

ANN M. LONDRIGAN
Editor

Illinois Parks and Recreation

(SSN 0019-2155) is published bimonthly at 211 E.Monroe Street, Springfield, Illinois, by the Illinois Associotion of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. Annual subscription rates: $6 for IAPO/IPRA members; $25 for non-members; $30 foreign; $20 educational institutions. Single copies: $2 members; $5 nonmembers. Periodicals postage paid at Springfield, Illinois. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Illinois Parks & Recreation, 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, IL62701-1186. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily express the official views of the IAPD/IPRA, Likewise, the publication of any advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or services offered. Members of the IAPD and the IPRA and other interested persons are encouraged to submit articles and illustrative photos for possible publication in the magazine. Send for manuscript guidelines and deadline dates: Editor, Illinois Parks & Recreation, 211 E. Monroe Street, Springfield, IL 62701 -1186,217.523.4554, alondrigan@ILparks,org, www.lLparks.org

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