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Chronic wasting disease update The Illinois departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources are working together to develop a plan to help prevent chronic wasting disease (CWD) from coming to Illinois. A task force, comprised of key staff from both agencies, is developing the plan which will address surveillance of wild deer and captive herds, the import and export of deer and elk and a planned response to a potential chronic wasting disease outbreak in Illinois. "I want to emphasize that chronic wasting disease has not been found in Illinois at this point," said DNR Director Brent Manning. "But it has been found in nearby Wisconsin, and we want to take all steps necessary to prevent the spread of the disease into Illinois." "The Department of Agriculture will continue to work closely with DNR to monitor both captive and wild herds for chronic wasting disease," said Illinois Agriculture Director Joe Hampton. "This could affect not only sportsmen, but also a developing industry of farm-raised deer and elk grown for food." Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease found in deer and elk. The disease attacks the brains of infected animals, causing them to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose coordination and eventually die. Chronic wasting disease recently was discovered in 12 deer in southern Wisconsin. CWD is not known to be contagious to livestock or humans. The World Health Organization has said there is no scientific evidence that CWD can infect humans. For safety's sake, however, experts suggest that hunters should avoid eating the brain, spinal cord, eyes, tonsils, spleen or lymph nodes of white-tailed deer and elk because the infectious agent tends to concentrate in those tissues. The World Health Organization has recommended no part of deer or elk that shows evidence of CWD should be eaten by people. Scientists test for CWD by examining the brain tissue of animals. Illinois livestock regulations require that any captive cervid (member of the deer/elk family) that dies from an unknown cause and that has exhibited a neurological disorder must be tested for CWD, and programs are in place for establishing Certified Monitored CWD herds of captive deer and elk. During the fall 2001 shotgun deer season, Illinois officials also systematically sampled hunter-harvested deer from around the state for CWD testing. To date, no animals from Illinois have tested positive for CWD, but surveillance efforts for the disease are being expanded in response to its close proximity in Wisconsin. DNR has long advocated good hygiene by hunters, including the wearing of rubber gloves when handling deer. The Illinois Department of Agriculture maintains a voluntary database of captive elk and deer herds in the state. Owners of such herds are encouraged to contact the Department of Agriculture at (217) 782-4944 so that they can be notified of any pertinent animal disease advisories including news concerning chronic wasting disease. Drawings set for public waterfowl hunting blinds Waterfowl hunting blind sites at several public hunting areas will be allocated by random drawings beginning in June. Duck and goose hunters must register in person for blind site drawings and must be present at the drawing held immediately after the registration period to claim their blind sites. Mail registrations are not accepted. To participate in a drawing, applicants must present a 2001 20 OutdoorIllinois or 2002 hunting or combination sportsman's license and an Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp at the time they register, unless exempted by law. Applicants must be at least 16 years old by the date of the drawing. Participants should save their 2001 stamps in case they have difficulty purchasing new stamps. At some but not all sites, hunters may be able to purchase 2002 Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamps. Registrants also must be prepared to show a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card from the Illinois State Police. Although a FOID card that has expired within a year of the drawing is acceptable for the registration, hunters are required to have a current FOID card before they can hunt a site in the fall. Applicants under the age of 21 do not need a FOID card if they are accompanied by an adult who has one. Non-residents must have a 2001 or 2002 non-resident hunting license for Illinois and an Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp. Dates and registration times for June 2, 2002, waterfowl blind drawings are as follows (blinds allocated for three years):
Horseshoe Lake State Park
Mississippi River Area (pools
25 and 26): • Godar Diamond, Hurricane/Michael, Red's Landing, Rip Rap Landing. Registration 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Calhoun County fairgrounds. Route 100 North, Hardin. • Batchtown and nearby Mississippi River blinds. Registration 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Batchtown Ball Diamond, Batchtown. • Stump Lake, Calhoun Point and the Illinois River blinds. Registration 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jersey County Fairgrounds and American Legion, Highway 67 North, Jerseyville. Power plant lakes reopened to public Exelon has reopened the majority of Clinton Lake. Remaining closed to the public is the portion of the lake closest to the plant, which is from the Illinois Route 54 bridge to just west of the Energy and Environmental Center. The reopened portion is available to boat traffic and recreational activities in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. Exelon also has reopened LaSalle Lake from 6 a.m. until dusk, Wednesday through Sunday. The lake will open on Mondays and Tuesdays later in the spring, once summer help has been hired for the site. Exelon has indicated it plans to reopen Braidwood Lake, however, no further information is available on that opening at this time. It also is unknown when Heidecke Lake, which is owned by Midwest Generation, will open. Any announcement on these reopenings will come from the utilities, with approval of the appropriate state security agencies.
Mandatory disclosure Individuals are reminded that when they apply for a recreational license or permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, they are required by state and federal law to provide their social security number and to certify that they are not delinquent in child support payments. This requirement applies to all recreational licenses including hunting and fishing licenses, hunting permits (deer and turkey) and boat and snowmobile registrations, whether sought directly through the Department of Natural Resources or through DNR license vendors. Failure to comply will result in a delay in processing of the license or permit being sought and may result in an inability to obtain a license or permit. Individuals who do not comply with the requirement will have their applications returned to them unprocessed. Disclosure of social security numbers on license and permit application forms is mandatory under both state and federal law. The information is used by the state in its child support enforcement efforts. The Department of Natural Resources is required by law to keep social security numbers confidential and is prohibited from using the number for any other purpose. License vendors have been advised of the need to keep the information confidential and to protect it just as they would customer credit card information. Applicants are reminded that providing false information on an application, including a social security number, puts an applicant at risk for having privileges revoked and receiving other penalties or fines. Commemorative knife available from ICF The Illinois Conservation Foundation still has a limited number of Winchester knives commemorating the induction of the first members into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame. The names of the first five inductees are engraved on the reverse side of the blade. Only 300 of the knives were produced, and profits from sales will help support Department of Natural Resources' programs. Remaining knives are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis. To place an order, send a check or money order for $95 (includes tax, postage and handling) to: Outdoorlllinois Gift Shop, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271. You also can purchase the knife using MasterCard or Visa by calling 1-800-720-3249. Allow two to four weeks for delivery.
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Free Fishing Days event planned for June 7-10 Family fishing clinics, kids fishing derbies and other special events are planned throughout the state as part of the annual Illinois Free Fishing Days celebration, slated for June 7-10. "Free Fishing Days events help our citizens—no matter their age or experience level— discover that fishing is a fun, family activity available to all Illinoisans in nearly every comer of the state," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Brent Manning. "I want to encourage any local scout troop, outdoor recreation agency, senior citizens organization, civic group, local fishing club or anyone else planning a special event for the free fishing weekend to let us know about it so we can help get the word out." Free Fishing Days is a four-day celebration of fishing in Illinois in which anglers can fish without purchasing an annual fishing license, salmon stamp or inland trout stamp. It is co-sponsored by Piano Molding Co., the world's largest manufacturer of fishing tackle boxes. Organizations interested in receiving promotional and educational materials to be used in conjunction with a Free Fishing Days event, or seeking more information, should contact Gary Watson, DNR Public Events & Promotions, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271, phone (217) 782-9990, TTY (217) 782-9175. ICF golf benefit tees off June 4 The Illinois Conservation Foundation's 7th Annual Downstate Golf Benefit to support youth fishing, hunting and other educational programs will be held on Tuesday, June 4 at the Piper Glen Golf Club in Springfield. "The downstate golf outing continues to be one of the most popular events held by the Foundation. It raises money to support youth deer, turkey and waterfowl hunts, along with family-oriented activities such as Free Fishing Days and National Hunting and Fishing Days," said DNR Director Brent Manning, who serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Illinois Conservation Foundation. The golf registration fee is $150 per person, while foursomes may register for $500. The fee includes golf greens fees and cart, lunch, dinner, beverages, awards and prizes. The field is limited to 144 players. Individuals, businesses and organizations are invited to support the ICF golf benefit by becoming a hole sponsor for $500 each. The four-person scramble format golf competition will begin with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Lunch will precede golf between 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by the awards program. Piper Glen Golf Club is located on Illinois Rt. 4 (Veterans Parkway) on Springfield's far southwest side, just north of Chatham. To register for the golf outing, become a sponsor, or for more information, contact Bob Ruff, DNR Public Events and Promotions, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271, or call (217) 785-8955, Ameritech Relay (800) 526-0844, TTY (217) 782-9175. The Illinois Conservation Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) organization. Established in 1994, the Foundation has raised more than $13.5 million in support of DNR programs. For further 22 OutdoorIllinois information about the Foundation, contact John D. Schmitt at (312) 814-7237, or visit www.ilcf.org. QCCA donates electrifying gift to fisheries The Quad City Conservation Alliance (QCCA) recently donated a Smith-Root DC electrofishing unit to DNR's Fisheries Division in Region 1. The unit. valued at more than $8,600, will be used to sample fish communities, and the data collected will allow biologists to monitor and manage the fish for the benefit of the angling public. The DC electrofisher is more efficient at finding hard-to-capture fish and is less damaging to them.
QCCA President Jim Garcia and QCCA Board of Directors member, Don Swensson, presented the gift to Division of Fisheries management representatives, Dan Sallee, Joe Ferencek, Mike Conlin and Ken Clodfelter, at the QCCA Expo Center in Moline. Since 1984, the QCCA has donated more then $400,000 toward conservation-related activities in Illinois and Iowa. In addition, QCCA volunteers have worked countless hours educating the public and helping DNR fish and wildlife managers. Horseshoe Lake regulation correction The 2002 Illinois Fishing Information booklet contains an error on page 6 in the shaded area under the heading "Snagging." The snagging regulation at the 1,890-acre, state-owned Horseshoe Lake in Alexander County has not been changed. Snagging is permitted year-round within a 100-yard limit upstream or downstream of the dam at Horseshoe Lake in Alexander County. Individuals with questions may contact Shawn Hirst, fisheries biologist at (618) 687-4546. A win-win situation This summer, the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger program's One Million Meals Crusade will present two award winners with deer and turkey hunting equipment prizes donated by Hunter's Specialties, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Anyone making a tax-deductible donation of $35 or more to Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger by July 1 will be entered in the drawing. Robert and Darlene Hammermeister of Springfield were the winners of an autographed copy of St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner's book All Things Possible, presented in a drawing among donors to the ISAH program conducted at the recent Illinois Deer and Turkey Classic in Bloomington. The One Million Meals Crusade was launched by ISAH to encourage donations to cover the costs of processing deer donated to the program by hunters. In 2001, more than 20,000 pounds of venison was donated. ISAH has provided more than 110,000 pounds of meat and 440,000 meals to needy families through food banks and food pantries in Illinois since 1994. To make a tax-deductible contribution, contact Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702, or call (217) 782-4963.
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