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The 116th meeting of the Illinois
Endangered Species Protection Board was on Nov. 15 at the James R.
Thompson Center in Chicago. The board determines what species are
threatened or endangered in the state and advises the Department of
Natural Resources on the means of conserving them. The board, which
meets quarterly, revises the list of protected species every five
years and completed its most recent revisions in 1999. For more
information, contact the board at (217) 785-8687.
* * *
Here’s what’s happening at Dickson
Mounds Museum:
"John James Audubon: The Birds of
America," a special exhibit of 29 original Audubon prints, almost
all of which depict birds native to Illinois, runs Nov. 16 through
March 9. Included will be several taxidermy mounts of native birds
from the collections of the Illinois State Museum. In conjunction
with the exhibit, the museum has scheduled a series of presentations
about the habits and habitats of a wide range of Illinois birds, as
well as the efforts to conserve and protect some species. For more
information on this series, contact the museum at (309) 547-3721.
The special exhibit of Audubon prints
opens with a weekend Holiday Showcase on Nov. 16-17 (8:30 a.m.-5
p.m.) featuring a number of wildlife artists from the Illinois
Artisan’s Program demonstrating their work. During this special
weekend the Museum Gift Shop will be offering a 20 percent discount
on all gift items, including publications. At 2 p.m. Sunday there
will be a performance by storyteller Brian Fox Ellis on "The Life
and Times of John James Audubon."
* * *
November 17-23 is National Hunger
Awareness Week. According to Time magazine, more than 33 million
Americans suffer from hunger or cannot afford three complete meals a
day. That number includes 13 million children. The Illinois
Department of Natural Resources is participating in this nationwide
anti-hunger campaign through the Illinois Sportsman Against Hunger
Program’s One Million Meals Crusade.
Deer hunters and those Illinoisans
interested in helping feed the hungry are asked to support the
initiative this fall and winter by donating harvested deer and by
making financial contributions to the program to help defray the
cost of processing deer meat donated to local food banks, food
pantries and charities. Hunters have donated more than 111,000
pounds of deer meat to the program since 1994, providing more than
526,000 meals.
Anyone making a tax deductible donation
to the One Million Meals Crusade through Dec. 31 will be eligible
for a special drawing for a Realtree camouflage muzzleloading
shotgun donated by Knight Rifles of Centerville, Iowa, or a pair of
8x40 wide-angle sport binoculars donated by Alpen Outdoor
Corporation of Rancho Cucamongo, Calif.
Donations of meat are accepted from
Oct. 1, the opening of the archery deer season, through the end of
the handgun deer season on Jan. 19.
Financial contributions to the Illinois
Sportsmen Against Hunger One Million Meals Crusade may be made to
the Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way,
Springfield, IL 62702-1271. Funds donated are tax-exempt to the
fullest extent of the law since the foundation is an IRS 501 (c)(3)
approved organization.
Sportsmen may call (217) 782-4963 for
information on meat processors and local food pantries participating
in the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger program.
* * *
The Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger
program welcomes another meat processor to the effort to feed hungry
Illinoisans this fall and winter. Mike Pearse’s Solo Deer
Processing, 201 Main St., in Kane (Greene County) joined the program
recently. The phone number for Solo Deer Processing is (217)
942-6506.
* * *
The special firearm deer hunting
seasons at Matthiessen State Park and Starved Rock State Park on
Monday, Nov. 18, through Thursday, Nov. 21, and on Monday, Dec. 2,
through Wednesday, Dec. 4, will result in access restrictions at the
parks. During both special hunt seasons, Matthiessen State Park will
be closed. At Starved Rock State Park, the west entrance from
Illinois Route 178, the campground, the public boat launch and a
majority of park trails will be closed. The Starved Rock State Park
Lodge, visitor center, park office and riverside main parking lot,
and part of the park picnic area and trails surrounding the visitor
center will remain open. Access to Starved Rock State Park will be
from the south entrance off Illinois Route 71.
* * *
Reminder: Castle Rock State Park will
be closed to public use on Nov. 22, 23 and 24, Dec. 5, 6, 7 and 8,
and Dec. 13, 14 and 15, due to the firearm deer reduction hunting
program. Please call (815) 732-7329 for more information.
* * *
Reminder: The McHenry County firearm
deer hunting check station will be moving. Due to hunters’ requests
for a more central location, successful hunters will no longer be
checking their deer at Moraine Hills State Park. The new location is
Sportsmen Choice, 11820 Catalpa Lane, Woodstock.
* * *
For information about laws for Illinois
landowners and sportsmen, go to
http://dnr.state.il.us/Law3/laws4landowners.htm.
* * *
For information about deer hunting
seasons and regulations, go to
http://dnr.state.il.us/admin/systems/index.htm.
* * *
Special events are upcoming through the
Disabled Outdoors Program. For information on the program or to find
out what is going on in your area, visit
http://dnr.state.il.us/doo/index.htm or call Jay Williams at
(618) 439-9111.
* * *
The Illinois State Museum will offer
five sessions of "Documenting Your Collection with a Computer," a
workshop on using a personal computer to document collections and
manage the information associated with collections objects.
All sessions of the workshop are
identical, and participants need attend only one session. Workshops
are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Nov. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23. All
workshops will be conducted at the museum’s Research and Collections
Center, 1011 East Ash St., Springfield.
The workshop will cover the following
topics: best practices for record keeping, taking identification
photographs with a digital camera, scanning collections of printed
matter, and using collection management software to build a database
of information. All necessary equipment and materials will be
provided by the museum. Participants are encouraged to bring a few
sample items from their collection to work with during the
workshop.
Fee for the workshop is $15 for members
of the Illinois State Museum Society and $20 for nonmembers.
Enrollment is limited, and preregistration is required. Contact
Brian Bisbee at (217) 557-6093.
* * *
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second column in this article]
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The Illinois State Museum and the
Basket Art Guild of Springfield will offer a holiday basket-making
workshop for families on Saturday, Nov. 23. The workshop will be at
the museum, Second and Edwards streets in Springfield. Families
(children ages 8-14 and adults) are invited to join the museum for
some holiday handcrafting fun. Participants will learn together how
to create a woven angel ornament. Instructions and all materials
will be provided by the Springfield Basket Art Guild.
Spaces are available in both the
morning and afternoon sessions, 10 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m. The
workshop cost is $5 for member of the museum society and $7 for
nonmembers. Each session is limited to 15 participants. Advance
registration is required; call Jennifer Kuehner, (217) 782-5993.
* * *
Tor Faegre, a twig furniture artisan
from Evanston will show his work as a special feature in the
Illinois Artisans Shop at the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W.
Randolph St., Suite 2-200, Chicago, through Nov. 29. Faegre has his
own unique style of twig furniture and sculpture, using twigs and
branches in combination with hardwood boards to make chairs, tables,
mirrors and lamps. He also uses recycled materials such as scrap
metal and pallet wood along with logs and branches to construct
outdoor sculptures. For more information, contact the shop at (312)
814-1794.
* * *
Reminder: The Region 2 office of the
Department of Natural Resources is moving from its current location
in Spring Grove to a new office at Tri-County State Park in
Bartlett. The new address is Illinois Department of Natural
Resources, Region 2 Office, 2050 West Stearns Road, Bartlett, IL
60103. The phone number is (847) 608-3100. Please make a note of the
change. The new office and phone number are effective Dec. 1.
* * *
It’s time to register for the second
annual Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt, scheduled for Dec. 26-27.
Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and
Tri-County Ducks and Geese Forever, the youth goose hunt will be at
private waterfowl hunting clubs in the Peoria and Canton areas.
Participation will be limited. Youth
hunters will be selected by a lottery from all interested youth who
have phoned in to register by Friday, Dec. 6. The lottery drawing
will be on Monday, Dec. 9, and youth hunters selected will be
notified by mail.
The hunt is open to youngsters ages
10-15 at the time of the hunt. Those who have never participated in
an IDNR youth hunt or who have no previous waterfowl hunting
experience will be given first priority.
All applicants must have successfully
completed a hunter safety education course, possess a valid Illinois
hunting or sportsman’s license, have a Harvest Information Program
registration number and have a 20-gauge or larger shotgun. Youth
hunt participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who
must possess a valid firearm owner’s identification card. Adults
will not be allowed to hunt.
To register for the hunt or for more
information, call (217) 785-8955 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on
weekdays.
Raffle tickets are available to support
the Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt, as well as youth waterfowl
hunts throughout the state. Only 500 tickets will be sold at $10
each to benefit the youth hunts. Prizes available include a
Winchester Super X2 shotgun, a lifetime hunting license, which is
transferable, and six Bigfoot Goose decoys. Winners will be drawn at
the hunt on Dec. 27 but need not be present to win. For ticket
information, contact Tom Munroe at (217) 524-5861.
(Note: The Central Illinois Youth Goose
Hunt will be Dec. 26-27 unless the central zone Canada goose season
closes early due to the quota being reached. The Canada goose season
in the central zone is scheduled to close Jan. 31).
* * *
Reminder: The deadline for the
submission of applications for special fund grant programs
administered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
has been extended. The department will accept applications for
grants from the Illinois Habitat Fund, State Pheasant Fund and the
Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Fund through Dec. 31. At this time
applications for the State Furbearer Fund are not being accepted.
Habitat and Pheasant Funds can be
awarded for habitat projects that propose the protection,
acquisition, development or enhancement of habitat management areas;
for research projects that address current concerns related to
wildlife habitat or contribute to knowledge about the ecology and
management of Illinois’ wildlife; or for education projects that
target members of the general public who do not hunt or trap.
Migratory Waterfowl Stamp Funds are for acquisition and development
projects for protecting waterfowl and improving public migratory
waterfowl areas within the state; for the development of waterfowl
propagation areas within the Dominion of Canada or the United States
that specifically provide waterfowl for the Mississippi Flyway; and
for implementation of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
Applications and additional information are available from the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Resource
Conservation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271;
phone (217) 782-2602; or on the DNR’s website at
http://dnr.state.il.us/grants/index.htm. The department’s
address for e-mail is:
specialfunds@dnrmail.state.il.us.
* * *
Proposed changes to Department of
Natural Resources administrative rules are now open for public
comment. Details of those changes are available at
http://dnr.state.il.us/legal/rule-status.htm.
Among the rules are the following:
Wildlife Conservation Measures and Practices (17 Ill. Adm. Code
635), for which the deadline to comment is Nov. 10; and Muskrat,
Mink, Raccoon, Opossum, Striped Skunk, Weasel, Red Fox, Gray Fox,
Coyote, Badger, Beaver and Woodchuck (Groundhog) Trapping (17 Ill.
Adm. Code 570), for which the deadline to comment is Nov. 25.
Comments regarding these rules should be sent to the Legal Office of
the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, One Natural Resources
Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1272.
A response regarding changes in the
nuisance wildlife control permit rule can also be found on the
website.
[Illinois Department of
Natural Resources
press release] |
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The young female deer was shot by a
landowner in late October because he believed it was ill.
Conservation police officers from the Department of Natural
Resources were contacted and collected the doe for testing at the
Illinois Department of Agriculture laboratory in Centralia. A
follow-up test conducted Nov. 1 at the National Veterinary Services
Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the diagnosis.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal
neurological disease found in deer and elk. The disease affects the
brains of infected animals, causing them to become emaciated,
display abnormal behavior, lose coordination and eventually die.
CWD has been diagnosed in wild,
free-ranging deer and elk as well as in captive animals in a number
of western states and was found earlier this year in Wisconsin and
Minnesota.
"This is the first positive for CWD from any deer or elk in
Illinois, though we’ve been monitoring and testing for the disease
for the past five years," said IDNR Director Brent Manning.
"Illinois expanded its surveillance efforts earlier this year and
created a joint task force with the Departments of Natural Resources
and Agriculture following the CWD outbreak in southern Wisconsin."
"The detection of CWD in Winnebago
County is disappointing," Manning said. "We are committed to a
long-term plan of stepped up surveillance and monitoring and to
taking all steps biologically appropriate to control the spread of
chronic wasting disease in Illinois. Deer hunters and those who
value the health of wildlife and outdoor recreation in Illinois will
continue to play an important role in that process."
Extensive testing for the disease is
planned during Illinois’ firearm deer season, which begins Friday,
Nov. 22. About 3,500 samples in 36 counties from hunter-harvested
deer around Illinois will be collected and tested. Larger numbers of
samples from hunter-harvested deer are being collected in northern
Illinois. Additional samples also are being taken from deer control
programs in northeastern Illinois where firearm deer hunting is not
allowed.
Counties tentatively to be sampled for
CWD during the 2002 firearm deer hunting season include Jo Daviess,
Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb,
Whiteside, Rock Island, Bureau, LaSalle, Hancock, Adams, Pike,
Fulton, McLean, Vermilion, Sangamon, Macoupin, Shelby, Fayette,
Effingham, Clark, Lawrence, Madison, St. Clair, Clinton, Washington,
Randolph, Jefferson, Marion,Williamson, Union, Johnson and Pope.
Counties were selected based on a variety of factors including
geographic location, size of deer population and the number of
facilities with captive deer or elk.
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"Once we get test results back from our
expanded surveillance efforts, the task force will be able to
evaluate the extent of the disease in Illinois and the necessary
steps to control the disease," Manning said.
A task force comprised of key staff
from both agencies has been working for months to develop plans to
address surveillance of wild deer and captive herds, import and
export of deer and elk, and a planned response to a potential
chronic wasting disease outbreak in Illinois.
The importation of hunter-harvested
deer and elk is being limited, the importation of live animals has
been restricted, and the feeding of wild deer has been banned.
A DNR rule bans the importation of
hunter-harvested deer and elk carcasses into Illinois, except for
deboned meat, antlers, antlers attached to skull caps, hides, upper
canine teeth and finished taxidermist mounts. Skull caps must be
cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue. This action prevents hunters
from bringing potentially diseased animals into Illinois and
discarding their parts in a manner that could result in
contamination of Illinois’ deer herd.
The department has banned the feeding
of wild deer and other wildlife in areas where wild deer are
present. The ban includes food, salt, mineral blocks and other food
products, with some exceptions. For example, bird and squirrel
feeders close to homes and incidental feeding of wildlife within
active livestock operations are exempt from the ban. For a complete
list of the exemptions, see Section 635.40 at
http://dnr.state.il.us/legal/635-emergency.htm on the
department’s website.
The department has also implemented
regulations to minimize the threat of chronic wasting disease
entering Illinois through the interstate transportation of captive
deer and elk and to monitor captive herds already in Illinois. DNR
shares responsibility with the Department of Agriculture in
regulating captive deer and elk on game farms. DNR’s new rule
complements new regulations being adopted by the Agriculture
Department for diseased animals.
For updated
information about chronic wasting disease, including answers to
frequently asked questions and the department’s rules, see
http://dnr.state.il.us/pubaffairs/2002/CWD.htm.
[Illinois Department of
Natural Resources
press release] |
