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Environmental Funding Alert

TRAFFIC VOLUME WATCH....June 2007......Valley View 19,9100 down 800 vehicles per day from Oct 2006 .....North Avenue to Roosevelt  14,300 to 16,900 .....No appreciable Change

 

53 Neighbors United Survey

Please fill out our survey so we know what issues and concerns you have and so we know if neighbors are interested in having us incorporate as a not-for-profit organization to allow us to expand our efforts to preserve and improve the IL 53 corridor.

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MEETING

 

No Formal Meeting is currently scheduled.

However, interest groups are working on their part of the project. 

To schedule a meeting or have us come out and give presentation on our activities

please call 630-730-3417

Some one will get back to you shortly.

No

We meet at College of DuPage

 

Action Alert: Natural Areas and Open Space Funding Drastically Cut in Illinois

(Forwarded to 53 Neighbors United by Brook McDonald, The Conservation Foundation)

On February 18, 2004 Governor Rod R. Blagojevich proposed budget cuts that would significantly impact conservation efforts in Illinois. The governor's proposal would eliminate the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Program and the Natural Areas Acquisition Fund in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' 2005 fiscal year budget.

According to the Illinois Environmental Council, this action would stop all land preservation efforts and eliminate at least 49 frontline scientific and professional staff positions at the Department of Natural Resources. It would also mean the loss of funding for the Natural Heritage Program, the Endangered Species Program and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.

Revenue for the programs comes from the real estate transfer tax. In 1991 the state legislature voted to dedicate a portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax revenue to conservation. The formula provided 35% of its funds to OSLAD and 15% to NAAF. These funds protect high quality natural areas and wildlife habitat of our state, and pay for the staff who implement the programs. The governor's proposal would divert this money to the General Revenue Fund. There will be zero funding for either program.

Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Fund: This program provides grants to local units of government for land acquisition for parks and open space and funds the development of park facilities and forest preserve district facilities. It is a mainstay of funding for park districts and forest preserve districts in northeast Illinois.

Natural Areas Acquisition Fund: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) uses NAAF for the protection of natural areas including habitat needed by endangered and threatened species, wetlands and other high quality natural communities. The funding has enabled the IDNR to acquire more than 20,000 acres on natural lands and has paid for the staffing of the Natural Heritage programs at the IDNR and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission.

 OSLAD and NAAF also fund the following programs that would be lost:

  • Natural Heritage program: Dedicated Revenue Source Diverted by the Governor. This program is responsible for protection, management and restoration of endangered species, natural areas and critical wildlife habitat on public and private lands. The biologists are the frontline staff responsible for implementing on- the-ground conservation programs. All 30 professional biologists and three clerical staff positions could be permanently lost.
  • Nature Preserves Commission: Dedicated Revenue Source Diverted by the Governor. The Commission is responsible for the dedication of high quality natural areas and endangered species habitats, placing protection of these lands as their highest and best use, the strongest protection for land in Illinois. All 15 positions could be permanently lost.

Please call the Governor's office today and tell him your views on the elimination of programs that support our natural areas. His phone number in Springfield is 217-782-6830. In Chicago, call 312-814-2121.

You can follow this up with a letter to him and a call or letter to your legislator. The Governor,s address is the James R. Thompson Center, Floor 16, 100 W. Randolph, Chicago, IL, 60601.

Please share this information with your membership.

Contact information for your legislator can be found at the addresses below:

http://www.legis.state.il.us/house/

http://www.legis.state.il.us/senate/

Find legislator by address: http://www.elections.state.il.us/dls/pages/DLSAddresscrit.asp

For more information call:

Joyce O'Keefe (312-863-6263) or Cathy Geraghty (708-771-1097) Co-Chairs, Chicago Wilderness State Government Relations Task Force

Or, Jennifer Sublett (217-544-5954) jsublett@ilenviro.org. Illinois Environmental Council

February 25, 2004

53 Neighbors United Commentary:

ALERT from the Conservation Foundation.
PLEASE read below and react!
Either Call or Write about this issue.
 
This is VERY important and strikes a blow against some of the lynchpins in our  fight with the Route 53 project. Beyond Route 53 this strikes a blow for maintaining green space in DuPage County. This is very serious and could deplete the Green Space we currently have and take for granted.

We need it badly! This has been what has kept DuPage a beautiful place to live. Otherwise we look like the West and South Side of Chicago all the way to Winfield!!!

For example, Blackwell is Forest Preserve. A lot of the land along Route 53 that is natural including the piece across the street from Glen Crest Jr. Hi. is forest preserve. Churchill Woods...Hidden Lake next to the Morton Arboretum is Forest Preserve. Danada Equestrian Center...that's forest preserve. Those are just a FEW examples.

Mary Kaufman

 

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Last modified: 06/10/07