Published: July 24, 2008 10:05 am            

Our View: Careful with those IDNR cuts, please

While rising gas costs have made vacationing close to home an attractive option for many Illinoisans over the last couple of years, that option will soon be a lot less viable. Unless state lawmakers override deep cuts to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources by Gov. Rod Blagojevich — and it appears Emil Jones will be a roadblock to that effort — vacationing at state parks will be less pocketbook-friendly very soon.

According to State Rep. JoAnn Osmond (R-Antioch) in a Chicago Tribune article on the cuts, the IDNR is slated to operate Fiscal Year 2009 (which began on July 1) on $52 million, down from the $108 million directed to the department as recent as 2004.

Conservation groups have rallied against the cuts, so far to no avail. They argue the cuts will mean an elimination of up to hundreds of IDNR employees, closure of state parks and additional fees. The cuts could mean even more of a cost for residents to camp at state parks — the cost for an electric site recently doubled — as well as a fee to simply enter a state park and higher costs for hunting and fishing licenses.

Locally, the Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area at Rend Lake and the Hamilton County State Fish and Wildlife Area could be affected by the cuts, as well as several other state parks throughout the region.

If the cuts are absolutely necessary, we hope administrators can find a way to maintain the state’s parks as affordable recreation opportunities for Illinoisans.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.