Illinois’ third Conservation Congress did pretty much what was expected of it last weekend. It beat the drum for many popular environmental causes and smartly avoided a number of political land mines.
Lengthy and often painstaking committee work streamlined many grass-roots proposals to the point where all but a handful of those that reached the floor won resounding support of at least 80 percent of the 117 voting delegates.
Ed Webb, the Chicago lawyer who again moderated the final session in the House of Representatives, observed that these biannual congresses seem to be maturing.
“I believe (delegates have) learned the art of compromise,” he said.
In other words, Illinois’ many-voiced conservation Tower of Babel might be increasingly capable of forming meaningful permanent coalitions on divisive issues–a goal these congresses were designed to foster but which has not been met well at all.
As expected, access issues held center stage, with 94 percent of the delegates calling for an expanded Access Illinois program to include other forms of recreation on private lands besides mostly hunting.
In the same vein, strong support went toward comprehensive revision of Illinois water law to redefine recreational navigability and improve public access, aggressive pursuit of more miles of recreational streams through landowner incentives, creation of an Illinois Trails Coordinator to manage, map and steer people to land and water trails, and a plea to the state to fight for reauthorization of federal transportation matching funds for commuter trails and, if that fails, to use some state transportation funds.
A Farm Bureau effort to require the Department of Natural Resources to hold the rights of landowners in “highest regard” in negotiations for recreational use was soundly defeated, largely because delegates thought landowners’ interests are protected sufficiently by DNR policies and they did not wish to emphasize one right over any others. There also was concern such a restriction might bog down efforts to save or open critical areas.
Despite woeful understaffing (one man), the popular Access Illinois program has opened 100,000 acres of private lands in seven west-central counties to public outdoor recreation, and delegates clearly said they wanted more. They called for more creative uses of property and income-tax credits, direct payments to landowners, greater liability protection and special awards to encourage cooperation.
Delegate Jim Valentino of the Illinois Rifle Association agreed with the concept of expanding the program beyond hunter access.
“For example, we should encourage landowners to leave a little hedgerow for habitat or maybe extend the driveway to the river so canoes can reach it,” he suggested.
Delegates also called for a broadly expanded conservation education program, asking the governor to report by next July why the 1957 Conservation Education Act has not been implemented as mandated. The act requires a certain amount of conservation education in schools.
Citing a dearth of conservation knowledge among teachers as well as schoolchildren, the Congress asked the DNR to add six new positions to help regional education officials train schools and teachers to use a wealth of materials that gather dust in libraries or on teachers’ desks. It also asked for another six positions to serve as clearinghouses for the abundance of conservation materials that go unused.
In its third effort to encourage the General Assembly to adopt a 1/8-cent sales tax for conservation purposes, the Congress asked for a non-binding referendum after the DNR compiles a “wish list” of various stakeholders’ needs. Beneficiaries of the estimated $125 million windfall have been expanded to include private landowners, local parks, tourism, agriculture and cultural institutions, as well as wildlife habitat and land acquisition.
Other major requests:
– Legislation to continue future congresses in the event of DNR administrative changes.
– An aggressive program, including a revolving loan fund, for timely acquisition of abandoned rail lines, in-holdings, trail connections, reclaimed mines, greenways and other targets of opportunity.
– Instituting reasonable entrance fees at selected high-use state sites, with out-of-state visitors paying more.
– Provide more recreational shooting and archery ranges to promote gun safety and comply with federal Pittman-Robertson funding.
– Require all jet skiers born after Jan. 1, 1980 to undergo a Boating Safety Course and impose the same drug and alcohol zero tolerance for underage boating as with motor vehicles.
– In a backlash to dominant field trialing at Green River Conservation Area, require the DNR to expedite site classifications and disseminate management changes to the public to prevent any single user group from dominating other uses.
– Encourage the DNR to rush construction of spillway barriers where necessary to forestall expensive losses of trophy fish.
– Demand the DNR upgrade deteriorating facilities at Spring Grove and LaSalle fish hatcheries.
– Create a public advisory board to mediate policy conflicts between the DNR and Agriculture, Transportation, EPA, Tourism and other agencies.
