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Environmental, tourism proponents call for overriding cuts to state parks budget

BY THE SOUTHERN

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 10:53 AM CDT

MAKANDA -- A diverse group of local leaders is gathering at Giant City Park this morning with a message for legislative leaders to set aside differences and restore funding to state parks before they and the people who work in them are hurt.

With major cuts in the budget of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources budget set to take effect later this week the group is calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the legislature to act for the sake of places like Giant City in Jackson County.

“Giant City State Park and all of the natural resources that IDNR protects, are too important to our community to face the chopping block just because our leaders are fighting,” said Barb McKasson of the Sierra Club.

Blagojevich plans a $14 million cut from IDNR's budget, decreasing by another 20% the general fund for an agency that's lost a quarter of its staff from budget cuts since 2001, according to the group, which also claims the cuts will force the closure of some facilities for lack of staffing.

The cuts are set to take effect Thursday unless both the Illinois House and Senate act to override the governor’s cuts.

"Past DNR funding cuts have already resulted in the loss of experienced staff at places such as Trail of Tears State Forest,” said Mike Baltz, Southern Illinois Director for the Nature Conservancy of Illinois. “Local DNR staff currently struggle just to keep the doors open at the $4 million Barkausen Cache River Wetland Center. The Center is an excellent source of community outreach, education, and inspiration that also draws tourists to the area. With the IDNR already operating with reduced staff, and straining to keep parks open and protect the environment at existing funding levels, these major cuts would be a devastating blow to the people we count on to protect Illinois’ natural heritage.”

“Giant City State Park is a major economic asset to our community. People travel from all over Illinois and the Midwest to enjoy this beautiful place, and while they are here they support our local businesses,” said Dan Walker, Mayor of Makanda. “Giant City State Park is an economic engine for us that we need to keep running, not raising fears that it may close.”

“With high gas prices and airfares, more people in the Midwest are looking for great vacation spots like Giant City State Park that are close to home and affordable,” said Ruth Hoak of the Shawnee Audubon Society. “Now some of Illinois’ top tourist attractions are at risk of closure, at a time when there is more and more interest in visiting them.”

Organizations joining the call to restore funding to the IDNR at Tuesday’s event include the Sierra Club, Union County Saddle Club, Southern Illinois Quota Zone Waterfowlers Association, Friends of Giant City State Park, Friends of Ft. Massac State Park, Friends of the Cache River Wetlands, River-to-River Trail Society, Jackson County Hiking Club, Audubon Society, and The Nature Conservancy of Illinois.