News Briefs

Illinois Supreme Court Decides Clement v. Chicago Park District

On Wednesday, April 13, 1983, the Illinois Supreme Court rendered its opinion on the case of Clement v. the Chicago Park District. This case in which the IAPD acted as amicus curiae involved the topic of confrontation of jurisdiction. Specifically, confrontation between the City of Chicago (home rule municipality) and a park district (the Chicago Park District).

The Appellate Court 1st District, 5th Division, in its opinion had stated "in summary, the law in this State is well established that the park district exercises plenary and excludes jurisdiction of its parks. It alone must decide upon the propriety of construction work done on its premises. To hold that the City of Chicago can empower the planning commission to condition any such work upon its approval would be to controvert the express mandate of the legislation establishing the park district's independence. This court will not give effect to the ordinance of one unit of local government which frustrates and contravenes the statutory authority granted to another."

In affirming the decision of the Appellate Court, the Illinois Supreme Court in its majority opinion stated we know of no authority which gives these plaintiffs (Clement) standing to seek an order requiring defendants (Chicago Park District) who have taken action consistent with their statutory powers to seek the approval of another government unit which has not itself asserted jurisdiction in the matter.

The IAPD is pleased that the Supreme Court took into consideration the arguments put forth in its amicus curiae brief.

Cahokia Mounds Added To World List Of Historic Sites

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, between Collinsville and East St. Louis, has become the 10th U.S. entry on the United Nations' prestigious World Heritage List of premier cultural, natural and historical properties.

Owned by the Illinois Department of Conservation, Cahokia Mounds is the remains of a highly-developed prehistoric Indian civilization and city that is rated one of North America's most significant archaeological sites.

The mounds site was voted to the List recently in Paris by the World Heritage Committee, an arm of the UN's 53-nation International Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Cahokia Mounds is the first Illinois site named to the world registry. It also is the only non-federal property among 10 in the United States recognized since the World Heritage Convention was established in 1975.

The 1,300-acre Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site protects features of a prehistoric Indian city that appears to have encompassed about six square miles and was the hub of a complex of satellite communities, connecting roads, extensive trade network, and well-developed agricultural system between 900 and 1400 A.D. Estimates of its population range from 11,000 to 40,000 people.

The ancient community contained as many as 120 mounds, the largest (Monk's Mound shown above) covering 14 acres and rising to a height of 100 feet. As much as 300 acres of the central section of the city was enclosed by a log palisade.

Both the city and its people literally disappeared mysteriously before the first Europeans arrived in the area, about 1500 A.D.

Environment Harm Cited In Attorney General Suit

Illinois Attorney General Neil F. Hartigan has initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, protesting the granting of a permit for a barge fleeting facility on the Mississippi River near Grafton.

Filed in the Southern District Federal Court, the suit alleges that the Corps issued a permit for the facility in violation of federal laws and policies intended to protect fish and wildlife and to preserve cultural, historic and scenic resources.

Hartigan's complaint states that the people will be damaged by the barge facility because it will "severely reduce or eliminate certain fish and wildlife resources, interfere with

Illinois Parks and Recreation    47   May/June 1983

Supporters Of Franklin Creek Park Honored By The DOC Ivan Hullah (left) and Winifred Knox (right) were presented awards of appreciation by David Kenney, Director of the Department of Conservation, recently for their efforts toward the acquisition and development of Franklin Creek State Park near Dixon. Mrs. Hullah and Director Kenney also are shown in the photo. The Franklin Creek Preservation Area was started by a donation of approximately 200 acres by Mrs. Knox in 1970. Since that time, the area has grown to about 500 acres through subsequent acquisitions. During the twelve-year history of the area, a dedicated group of volunteers, led by Ivan Hullah, have donated their time, money, and labor to the development of this public area.

sport fishing and other recreational activities, and seriously impair unique cultural, historic and scenic resources in Illinois".

National Tennis Week

National Tennis Week, an amateur tennis program sponsored by Tennis magazine in cooperation with the National Recreation and Park Association, will be held June 18-26.

A cost-free program, National Tennis Week provides local park and recreation departments with an opportunity to organize and host tennis events as part of their '83 tennis calendar. Recreation directors also may set up local tournaments or qualifying events for the Lipton Iced Tea Mixed Doubles Championship which qualifies 32 teams across the nation to participate in the national finals to be held September 22-25 in Florida.

Recreation directors who desire to participate in National Tennis Week should call NTW headquarters' toll-free number, 1-800-243-2701, and ask for the free NTW kit. Upon signing up for the program, directors become eligible to participate in the NTW $25,000 sweepstakes and a chance to win a free trip to the national finals.

Hershey National Track And Field Program Announced

Youngsters from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are off and running in the sixth annual Hershey's National Track & Field Youth Program.

Local parks and recreation departments interested in participating should contact their state society president or Jim Johnson, National Coordinator, Hershey's National Track & Field Youth Program, Dept. SN, P.O. Box 814, Hershey, PA 17033. (717/534-7636).

The Hershey Program is a basic form of playground participation designed for children between 9 to 14. These children are introduced to physical fitness through track and field events which come naturally to them, such as running, jumping and throwing.

Local, district and state meets are held in all 50 states and the District of Columbia during May, June and July. Over 600 regional team members and chaperones receive all-expenses-paid trips to the National Finals, scheduled for August 11-14 and held for the first time in Hershey, PA.

It is conducted in cooperation with regional offices and state societies of the National Recreation and Park Association, the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Urban Waterfront Renewal Workshop Slated For June 16

"Urban waterfront renewal: The Illinois experience," a one-day workshop, will be held on June 16, 1983 at Illinois Central Community College in East Peoria. Both IAPD and 1PRA, pending official Parks Section approval, are co-sponsoring this event with the Sea Grant Program, Illinois Department of Conservation, the Open Lands Project, Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.

In recent years, many communities in Illinois have been developing their formerly blighted riverfront areas into vital centers of urban renewal.

The workshop is designed to stimulate the realization of this potential by bringing together public officials, planners, consultants, developers, recreation professionals, historic preservation interests, and interested citizens to share their experiences and discuss key elements of the urban waterfront renewal process.

IAPD and IPRA members will receive a conference registration brochure in early May. Registration is only $20, including lunch, so put June 16 on your calendar. For additional information now, contact the Conference Coordinator, Chris Hagerman, Sea Grant Program, (312) 532-4369.

Illinois Parks and Recreation    48     May/June 1983