Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s scheme to close 11 state parks ‑‑ along with shutting down 13 state historic sites and laying off 325 state workers – is hitting close to home here in Kankakee.
The closures, set for Nov. 1, will leave a trio of shuttered facilities along the Illinois & Michigan Canal including Channahon State Park, the official trailhead for the I & M State Trail. The park is located near the junction of the Kankakee, DesPlaines and DuPage rivers. Channahon features two of the original I & M Canal locks and a restored lock tender’s house.
Blagojevich also plans to mothball Gebhard Woods State Park at Morris, and Illini State Park, located just south of the canal near Marseilles.
Despite closing the 30-acre Gebhard Woods site in Morris, the governor plans to keep nearby William G. Stratton State Park and its four public boat ramps open to allow boating access to the Illinois River.
Other area park closings include Kickapoo State Park at Oakwood, east of Champaign; Moraine View near LeRoy and Weldon Springs near Clinton. Also on the list at Castle Rock and Lowden near Oregon, the Hennepin Canal Parkway, Hidden Springs State Forest near Strasburg and Wolf Creek State Park near Windsor,
In October the state will close several Abraham Lincoln sites including his parent’s last log cabin home near Charleston and the Vandalia statehouse where Lincoln served in the state legislature. Other historic sites slated for closure include: the David Davis mansion at Bloomington, The Dana-Thomas House at Springfield, Jubilee College, near Peoria, Bishop Hill in Henry County, Carl Sandburg birthplace at Galesburg, the Cahokia courthouse, Fort de Chartres in Randolph County, Bryant Cottage at Bement, Apple River Fort, Elizabeth, Fort Kaskaskia and the Pierre Menard home in Randolph County.
“These decisions were not wanted by the Department of Natural Resource and they were not wanted by the governor’s office,” said DNR spokesman Chris McCloud. “But with a budget that is not balanced and being $2.1 billion underfunded, they had to be made.”
Blagojevich has had most state parks on survival rations for months, cutting basic necessities such a fuel and repair work statewide. Conservation police officers have increasingly found themselves unable to drive the vehicles on patrol due to funding cuts and there are a number of hunters around the state still waiting on Springfield to find postage money to mail out waterfowl permits.
Last month Blagojevich made $1.4 billion in spending cuts to help fill a hole he said topped $2 billion in the fiscal 2009 budget lawmakers sent him.
Come November, the park entrances will be barred and the public will no longer be allowed access to those areas, McCloud said. Once closed a single watchman will be on duty for maintenance and security.
McCloud said the parks were chosen based on size, services offered, and proximity to other parks.
“These are the consequences of a struggling economy and underfunded budget,” McCloud said. “Every agency was asked to tighten their belts.”
Readers are encouraged to comment on the state’s latest solution to its budget crisis.
The sky’s the limit with a pair of star parties in September set for the Kankakee area.
Astrofest
Astrofest on Sept. 5 to 7 will draw dozens of amateur stargazers to Vana’s on Illinois Route 17 seven miles west of Kankakee. Registration is $38 for the weekend or $26 for a single night.
The event, hosted by the Chicago Astronomical Society is the area’s biggest star party. Workshops during the fest are geared to teachers, Scout leaders and astronomy hobbists.
The Sept. 20 and 21 Chad Morgenthaler bass tournament at Rend Lake offers a great fishing challenge and an opportunity to help raise money for Special Olympics.
The $200 entry fee per boat includes the big bass pot. There is a $10 procrastinator’s fee for entries received after Sept. 12.
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Indiana has announced its tentative dates for the upcoming waterfowl season.
The dates are expected to receive final approval in September from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The agency seldom changes the proposed dates after they have passed muster by the USFW’ regulatory committee.
Most Indiana dates differ from those posted earlier for Illinois (see post). Only the Conservation Order Light Goose season dates are the same.
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Waterfowlers are one step closer to seeing the hunting season dates finalized by federal regulators.
Illinois’ proposed 60-day duck and 85-day goose seasons have won approval by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s regulations committee. Final approval are expected in September.
Hunters can expect to see the early season begin with a 15-day Canada goose hunt beginning Sept. 1. Teal season will follow on Sept. 6 through 21.
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The U.S. Forest Service will begin issuing free deer season passes on Sept. 1 for the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
The passes will be available during an open house from 8 a.m. to noon at the Midewin Welcome Center on Illinois Route 53 two miles north of Wilmington. Hunters must have a valid Illinois hunting permit to obtain a Midewin pass.
Passes will also be available over the counter from Sept 1 through Oct. 11 during regular business hours, 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
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Perhaps it’s the cooler Canadian air that has hunters starting to think about the upcoming waterfowl, deer and turkey seasons.
August is when sportsmen start lining up permits and begin scouting out likely spots for September and the fall hunts.
Dove season begins on Labor Day, Sept. 1, which means a busy time afield for holiday hunters in Illinois and Indiana.
September also means the early Canada goose hunt, now tentatively set for Sept. 1 through 15 for both states followed on Sept. 6 to 21 by the teal season.
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Dove season will begin on Labor Day, Sept 1, this year which means a busy day afield for holiday hunters in Illinois and Indiana.
Sept 1 through 15 is also the proposed dates for the early Canada goose season for both states followed on Sept. 6 to 21 by the teal season.
Indiana has announced a length listing of its migratory bird hunting dates that are expected to receive approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service by the end of the month. Those dates Include:
