Department of Natural Resources February 'Newsbits'

[February 09, 2008]  SPRINGFIELD -- February announcements from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources:

Pere Marquette bald eagle programs: Families and wildlife-watching enthusiasts will enjoy attending one of the upcoming bald eagle programs at Pere Marquette State Park in Jersey County. Eagles may be spotted near the park along the Illinois River throughout the winter. Join site staff at Pere Marquette for programs that will begin at the park's visitor center at 8:30 a.m. with a short video presentation, followed by an observational drive to view the wintering bald eagles. Dates for the free bald eagle programs at Pere Marquette State Park are Feb. 9, 10, 16, 19, 20, 23, 24 and 26, and March 1. Reservations are required -- call 618-786-3323.

Diversity celebration: The Illinois State Museum will host its third annual Celebrate Cultural Diversity event Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will learn about the heritage and traditions of world cultures that are found here in Illinois. The event includes hands-on crafts for children, international displays, live musical and dance performances, and much more. The event is free and open to the public. Phone [phone] for more information. The Illinois State Museum is located at 502 South Spring St., Springfield.

Winter Tree Identification Workshop: Giant City State Park, Makanda, will host its annual Winter Tree Identification Workshop on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Participants will learn techniques for identifying trees by the bark, buds, shape and seeds. The program is free, but registration is required. Call 618-457-4836 to register. (Rain date is Feb. 16).

Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet: Tickets are available for the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield on Saturday evening. The event opens with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 and are available by calling the Illinois Conservation Foundation at 217-785-2003. The Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame inductees for 2008 are Don Dubin, the late George B. Fell and John R. "Duke" O'Malley.

Youth turkey hunting: Young hunters are reminded that the deadline to apply for 2008 Illinois Resident Spring Youth Wild Turkey permits is Monday. The season is open only to Illinois residents who have not reached their 16th birthday by the start of the season. All participating youth must have completed an IDNR-approved hunter safety education course. Spring Youth Wild Turkey permits are $10 each and will be issued through a computerized lottery. Application forms are available at http://dnr.state.il.us. Spring Youth Wild Turkey season dates are March 29-30 in the south zone and April 5-6 in the north zone.

Shark teeth in Illinois: "Up From Florida: Shark Teeth and Marine Shells from Illinois Sites" is the subject for the monthly archaeology lecture at the Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center in Springfield at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Marine shells are regularly found at archaeological sites. Much less common are shark teeth. Findings in Illinois show that sets of shark teeth were transported from the Gulf while still embedded in shark jaws. For more information on the free lecture, phone [phone]. The Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center is located at 1011 E. Ash in Springfield.

Hunter survey deadline: Hunters who received free permits to access specific IDNR public land sites during the past year are reminded to return harvest surveys by Feb. 15. Hunters who may have misplaced or lost their survey should contact the site office that issued it. Even if hunters received a free permit and did not hunt, return of the survey is important to biologists and site staffs managing these sites. If a hunter's survey is not returned, that hunter may be ineligible to obtain a permit for the next year.

Arbor Day contest deadline Feb. 20: The entry deadline for the annual National Arbor Day Poster Contest for fifth-grade students in Illinois is Feb. 20. The theme for the 2008 competition is "Trees are Terrific ... Inside and Out." For more information, call 217-785-8771.

Commercial fishing drawing: The drawing for six Rock-Pecatonica River commercial fishing contracts will be Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. at the IDNR Regional Office, 2317 E. Lincolnway, Sterling. Licensed commercial fishermen with a minimum of 15 hoop nets or three 100-yard trammel nets with a bar mesh size of 2 3/4 inch or larger are eligible if the fishermen have not been found guilty of a Fish and Aquatic Life Code or IDNR fishing administrative rule violation within the past 12 months and can post a $300 bond. Fishermen must be in attendance when contracts are awarded on a first-draw, first-choice basis. The Rock-Pecatonica River contracts are for the period April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009. Contractor or crew members may use hoop nets, or trammel nets having a bar mesh size of 2 3/4 inches or larger. All gear must be licensed by the contractor. Species that may be harvested on these contracts are carp, buffalo, freshwater drum, suckers, carpsuckers, gar, bowfin, grass carp, Asian carp and gizzard shad. All other fish species, including catfish and bullheads, must be released immediately.

Commercial fishing for these species of fish has been occurring on the Rock River since prior to the 1950s. The IDNR issues contracts annually for the removal of these fishes to help enhance sport fish populations on the Rock River. Rough fishes such as carp and buffalo compete directly with sport fish fishes for food resources and spawning habitat. The program has been successful. During the last 10 years, more than 2 million pounds of rough fish with an estimated wholesale value of $380,645 has been harvested from the Rock River. For further information, contact Rob Maher at 618-466-3451.

ESPB meeting: The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board will meet Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie welcome center, 30239 S. State Route 53, Wilmington. For more information, call 217-785-8687.

Collector's Day: The Illinois State Museum's 10th annual Collector's Day will be Feb. 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. Youngsters ages 8-15 will display their own collections of fossils, foreign coins, shoes, sports cards, dolls and much more. No sales or appraisals will be allowed. Kids who are collectors can use this event as a fun opportunity to create a display, share their collection with others and meet other collectors their ages. Display spaces are available by application at no charge. To become an Illinois State Museum Junior Collector or for more information, call 217-782-0061.

Register by Feb. 29 for Earth Day in the Parks: The IDNR is now accepting applications for the 2008 "Earth Day in the Parks," a program to promote stewardship of Illinois' natural resources by schoolchildren. On April 17, students and their teachers from throughout Illinois will visit participating Illinois state parks to take part in natural resources stewardship activities such as planting native trees, grasses and wildflowers; building and installing boxes for nesting and roosting; removing invasive exotic plant species; and constructing woodland ponds for amphibians. The IDNR is accepting applications from teachers who would like the opportunity for their class to participate in the program. For more information, including the list of participating state parks, and to download an application form, visit http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/. The application must be received by Feb. 29. For more information, call 217-524-4126 or e-mail [e-mail].

Trail grants: Applications are being accepted through March 1 for the Illinois Bicycle Path Program, Off-Highway Vehicle Program and federal Recreational Trails Program grants. For more information, check http://dnr.state.il.us/grants/ or contact the IDNR Division of Grant Administration, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; phone [phone].

WPF applications: Applications are now being accepted for the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund's two grant programs administered through the IDNR Office of Resource Conservation Division of Natural Heritage. The programs are funded through a voluntary checkoff designation to the Wildlife Preservation Fund on the state income tax form.

• The Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Small Project Program proposals are open to anyone and may address many types of projects, including management, site inventories, education or special equipment purchases. Examples of past projects include wildlife habitat improvement, species enhancement, education and research projects throughout the state, focusing on species ranging from birds to turtles and habitat ranging from forests to prairies. Individual proposals are eligible for up to $2,000 from the Wildlife Preservation Fund.

• Proposals are also being accepted for the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Maintenance of Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities That Take Care of Threatened or Endangered Species Program. This program is designed to keep wildlife rehabilitation facilities that take care of threatened or endangered species in a state of good repair necessary to provide safe and sanitary conditions for threatened or endangered wildlife species being cared for in the facility and for facility staff. Only individuals who possess a current wildlife rehabilitation license or permit issued by the IDNR and who have provided care for threatened or endangered wildlife species during the three-year period preceding the date of their application qualify for grant funds. Individual proposals are eligible for up to $2,000 from the Wildlife Preservation Fund.

Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Grant Program packets for fiscal 2009 are available. They include a program explanation, instructions for completing the application form and an application form. The application packet is available through http://dnr.state.il.us/grants/. The packet is also available by calling 217-782-2602 or by e-mail at [e-mail]. The deadline for accepting applications is 5 p.m. on April 1.

Fishing information booklet: The 2008 Illinois Fishing Information guide is now available at many IDNR offices, license and permit locations, and online at http://dnr.state.il.us/fish/digest/. Regulations in the guide are effective April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009. Illinois Free Fishing Days for 2008 are June 6-9.

Buy 2008 licenses: Illinois fishing, hunting and sportsmen combination licenses for 2008 are available from DNR Direct license and permit vendors, online through http://dnr.state.il.us/, and by calling 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648). DNR Direct makes buying licenses, habitat stamps and waterfowl stamps convenient and easy. By going online, license buyers can use American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa or E-Check and print the license or receipt -- and the system is available 24 hours a day. The new IDNR license year begins April 1. The 2008 licenses will be valid through March 31, 2009.

Commercial licenses on DNR Direct: Select IDNR commercial licenses for 2008 are available through DNR Direct -- the IDNR automated license, permit and registration system. The commercial licenses are available from DNR Direct license and permit vendors, online through http://dnr.state.il.us/, or by phone toll-free at 1-888-6PERMIT (1-888-673-7648).

OutdoorIllinois: For the latest news about Illinois' natural resources, pick up the February 2008 issue of OutdoorIllinois, the Department of Natural Resources' monthly magazine. Featured on the cover is a male goldfinch perched in a stand of thistle at Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area. The image was taken by Matt Buedel of Peoria and selected as "Best of Show" in the 2007 OutdoorIllinois photo contest.

The February issue is the fourth annual full photographic issue, featuring 16 pages filled with stunning, winning entries in the 2007 OutdoorIllinois photo contest. Photo contest guidelines require that submitted images meet one of five categories: wildlife (including underwater images of aquatic organisms), backyard and urban wildlife, scenic and flora, natural resource recreational activities, and young shutterbugs (same categories but taken by persons 12 years of age or younger). Additional information on the 2008 photography contest will be published in the May issue of OutdoorIllinois and posted at www.dnr.state.il.us/OI by May 1.

OutdoorIllinois is a great tool for learning about Illinois' natural, cultural and recreational resources and a bargain at $15 for a one-year subscription. Visit www.dnr.state.il.us/OI/ or call 1-800-720-3249 to subscribe. Single issues may be purchased for $3. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. For information on advertising, call 217-785-8610 or e-mail [e-mail].

[Text from Illinois Department of Natural Resources news release received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]