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Conservation Corner  In the Public Eye by Gary Thomas
Most outdoor recreationists in Illinois follow a sound
A survey on outdoor ethics indicates that many
recreationists perceive unethical outdoor behavior to be
relatively serious, but that while incidents do occur, the
prevalence is less than envisioned.
"Basically, this says the overall ethics of Illinois
sportspeople are fairly good, but that the public judges
outdoor recreationists by their lowest common denominator," said Conservation Director Brent Manning. "Some outdoor recreationists have an image problem, and this
negative perception can become ingrained in the minds of
the outdoor-oriented public."
The survey was conducted by the Illinois Outdoor Ethics Board in conjunction with the Department of Conservation to identify and characterize outdoor sportspeople,
measure the prevalence and seriousness of unethical outdoor behavior, and to define mechanisms for improving
ethical standards in Illinois.
The board was created by Manning in September
1993. Consisting of 17 citizens representing diverse outdoor entities, members were asked to identify outdoor ethics problems, to identify the best ways to change unethical
behavior, and to make recommendations for a method of
promoting and funding an outdoor ethics program.
"The outdoor ethics survey is the principle means the
committee is using to identify the outdoor problems," said
Jim Raftis, coordinator of the outdoor ethics program. "It
was designed to find out what types of outdoor activities
are being enjoyed in Illinois, to identify and characterize
the people who participate in these activities, to measure the prevalence and seriousness of unethical behavior and
its impact on the state's natural resources, and to define
some mechanisms for improving outdoor ethical standards."
The 12-question survey was organized into three parts
to find the characteristics of the participants, to find out
what type of outdoor activities they take part in, and to
discover their opinions and attitudes toward outdoor ethics. The survey was sent to nearly 3,500 people from Illinois' constituency list, participants in Conservation Congress and leaders of outdoor organizations. More than
2,350 people (69%) responded to the survey, and 101 of
the state's 102 counties are represented in the findings.
Participants in the survey averaged 49 years of age,
were 84% male and 16% female. Fishing, at 64%, was
the outdoor activity enjoyed by the most respondents, followed by hiking/jogging/walking at 61%, hunting at 52%,
and boating at 50%.
Other types of activities and included: picnicking 48%,
camping 44%, birding 37%, swimming 34%, outdoor photography 32%, hiking 28%, ATV riding 12%, cross-country skiing 12%, horseback riding 11%, field trialing 6%,
snowmobiling 6%, nature study 3%, shooting 2%, trapping 1%, and competitive archer shooting 0.7%.
"There was, of course, a lot of overlapping of activities," Raftis pointed out. "Anglers who hike, for instance,
or campers who also hunt or participate in cross-country
skiing."
50 • Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995
The survey showed that most participants conduct
their outdoor activities in the same region where they live,
and that 91% of the participants are active in their county
of residence. The survey also indicates that recreationists
are not confined to where they live. Only 22% said they
did not leave their county of residence to participate in
some outdoor activities.
On the average, recreation took place 44% of the time
on private lands and 56% on public lands. However, this
percentage varied greatly, depending on the type of recreation. Trappers, for instance, said they use private land
88% of the time, while cross-country skiers, at the other
end of the spectrum, use private land only 25% of the time
when enjoying their sport.
More than half of the hunters, anglers, snowmobilers,
ATV riders, field trialers, shooters, archery contestants and
trappers were more active on private lands, while more
than half of the birders, picnickers, photographers, campers, horseback riders, cross country skiers, swimmers, hikers/joggers/walkers, boaters, bikers and nature studiers
were more active on public lands.
Not surprisingly, those surveyed said unethical behavior was observed more frequently on public lands than on
private lands. Further, those responding to the survey said
they believed that overuse of recreational resources and
abuse of natural resources were more serious on public
land than on private land. Respondents from DOC's Region 2 (northeast Illinois) reported observing unethical
behavior more frequently than those surveyed from other
regions.
The survey listed options for improving ethical behavior and asked respondents to rank each of them. They
ranked youth education as the number one option. Other
options, in order of importance, were adult education, increased media attention, cooperation among outdoor recreation groups, partnerships between outdoor groups and
government, and peer pressure as the ones that would be
the most effective. Those they considered to be less effective methods to improve ethical behavior included increased law enforcement, increased penalties for violations,
publications and printed material, and newer/stricter laws.
"Sportspeople believe something needs to be done to
alert others in the state to the outdoor problems we have,"
Raftis said. "And those surveyed clearly believe that education and more media attention—especially radio and
television media—is the key to improving ethical behavior."
Don Swensson, the chairman of the Outdoor Ethics
Board, said he saw some real positive things come out of
the survey. "It points out a very definite need for some work to
be done to improve our outdoor image," he said. "We
particularly need to get more educational material out to
the public, and to make people more aware of their responsibilities while in the outdoors.
"Hopefully, we're going to be able to use what we
have learned and do a better job of educating the public on
the problems and pointing out the solutions."
Manning said that now that we know how the public
perceives outdoor recreationists, Sportspeople need to work
together to determine where problems exist and undertake
efforts to resolve them.
"The work being done by the Ethics Board is important to all of us," Manning said. "The members will be
making recommendations to the Department of Conservation with the objective of perpetuating the responsible
use and enjoyment of Illinois' natural resources by present
and future generations."
Copies of the 1994 Illinois Outdoor Ethics Survey are
available by writing: Department of Conservation. Office
of Natural Resources, 524 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62701.
Gary Thomas is the editor of OutdoorIllinois. This
article is reprinted from the January 1994 issue of the
magazine. •
Members of the
Don Swensson, Conservation Advisory Board
Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995 • 51
Conservation Education Builds Awareness Level
by Kathy Andrews
The Illinois Department of Conservation established a
Conservation Education Program in 1988. The purpose of the
Program is to raise the awareness level of Illinois children,
their parents and teachers of the need for preserving, protecting and managing our natural resources.
The program began with the implementation of an at-home
club for children in August 1988. Illinois children between
the ages of 5 and 13 are eligible for the club. Magazines are
sent to the home, with the youngest child between those ages
being registered to ensure the greatest enrollment period in
the club. The club provides members with free, colorful, periodic magazines, notices about conservation special events, and
serves as an excellent communication link between the youth
of Illinois and the IDOC.
Each magazine centers around a specific natural resources
theme. This feature facilitates use of the magazine in the classroom and with youth groups. Educators and youth group leaders can register for the club, and will receive a magazine at the
same time they are mailed to members. Upon receipt of their
magazine, adults are reminded to remind children to bring the
magazine to school or the youth group meeting for discussion.
The KIDS FOR CONSERVATION™ club concept has
been a great success, with over 150,000 member households
statewide.
The Illinois Department of Conservation produces a diversity of other conservation and environmental education
materials, including a monthly activity page that appears in
the Department's publication Outdoor Illinois.
The IDOC has prepared five education kits for distribu-
tion to over 4,200 public and private schools registered with
the Illinois State Board of Education. Each kit contains a
closed-captioned videotape, lesson plans, a two-sided poster
and a variety of learning activities. All of the lessons are correlated to the Illinois State Goals for Learning to facilitate use
in the classroom.
In November 1993, the Illinois Department of Conservation accepted the administrative responsibility for three national environmental education programs. To receive the activity manuals for each of these environmental education projects, educators and youth group leaders attend a short
workshop lead by a trained facilitator.
Project WILD is an interdisciplinary, natural resources education program for grades K-12. It is of value to teachers
as well as leaders at camps, parks and nature centers. The
focus is on wildlife and wildlife habitats.
WILD Aquatic focuses on water habitats and their unique
wildlife. The activities cover ponds, lakes, streams, oceans
and more. Students K-12 develop a deep understanding
of the issues we face in protecting this limited, vital resource.
Project Learning Tree deals with forestry issues. Students
Pre K-12 interact with the natural and social environments.
PLT includes dozens of well-designed, easy to use activities.
These projects are sponsored and endorsed by state and
regional agencies in education and resource conservation. Key
components of these environmental education projects are:
52 • Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995
In 1993, Illinois premiered the Project WILD Action
Grants program. A companion to national Project WILD, the
Action Grant Program is based on the idea that students and
teachers who have had contact with Project WILD need opportunities to take environmental action. A habitat improvement project can be conducted at a school, or nearby site,
through this grant.
Schools, nature centers and youth groups may apply for a
Project WILD Action Grant. A trained Project WILD educator or facilitator must be involved with the project. Technical
natural resource assistance will be provided for each project
funded. Materials such as tree planting stock, seeds and related items will also be sought for distribution to funded
projects.
Illinois fifth grade students can participate in the annual
Arbor Day poster contest sponsored by the Illinois Department of Conservation and the National Arbor Day Foundation. Based on an annual theme, the contest is designed to
assist students develop a better understanding of the need for
both old-growth forests and forests managed for wood production, recreation or wildlife preservation. All public and
private schools in Illinois receive a copy of the contest information packet about January 1 each year.
The Illinois Department of Conservation sponsors the
Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program directed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. This Program is a unique conservation
education curriculum tailored to students in grades K-12. Public and private school teachers throughout the state can use the
curriculum to conduct classroom activities related to wildlife conservation and management topics, wildlife art and philately. Illinois was one of the first three states to sponsor the
Program, and we are now entering our fifth year of participation. In 1993, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a
national "Best of Show" award, which was presented to Jason
Parsons, the winning Illinois artist.
In closing, it is important to emphasize that Conservation
Education is designed to build the awareness level of Illinois'
children, their parents and teachers. The program will build
more positive attitudes toward our natural resources and will
also motivate young people to become good stewards of Illinois' resources. A concerted effort on behalf of all natural
resource agencies is necessary to motivate the citizens of Illinois to get involved. Rebuilding must begin with the youth of
this state to ensure a brighter future for generations to come!
For further information about these programs contact the
Illinois Department of Conservation, Conservation Education,
524 S. Second Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701-1787
Kathy Andrews is the Education Chief for the Illinois Department of Conservation. •
Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995 • 53
Diverse Projects Display Need
Songbirds, streams and river otters
are the focus of major research projects
funded this year by the Wildlife Preservation Fund.
"The Wildlife Preservation Fund is
helping us increase our knowledge of
animals and plants so the best possible
management decisions can be made,"
Conservation Director Brent Manning
said. "Research gathered in these projects
should be useful to conservation managers throughout Illinois and the Midwest."
Donations that taxpayers specify on
their state income tax forms are used to
finance projects that benefit Illinois' native species. Amounts pledged to the
Wildlife Preservation Fund on line 15a of
state income tax forms, or line 5a of the
new state EZ forms,
Among projects funded this year is a research project
that will explore how restoration of a floodplain ecosystem to enlarge songbird habitat can benefit thrushes, warblers, flycatchers and other species that migrate between
North America and the tropics. Migrant songbirds have
experienced sharp population declines during the past five
years, likely due to forests being fragmented into smaller
tracts which harbor nest predators and parasites. With
$20,000 in assistance from the Wildlife Preservation Fund,
the study will help determine if enlarging habitat by connecting remnants of the Cache River floodplain in southern Illinois can maintain viable populations of migrant
songbirds. The study will help determine the minimum
area that songbirds require. The results of the study could
provide a model for restoration of flood plains and songbird habitat in agricultural areas.
A project that will develop new management strategies for Illinois streams, using central Illinois' Mackinaw
River as a model, is receiving a $10,000 award from the
Wildlife Preservation Fund. While stream management
efforts in the past have been piecemeal, this project will
use an "ecosystem management" approach that considers
the watershed as a whole so restoration and protection efforts can be directed where they can best benefit the
stream's entire length. Following collection and analysis
of data, the project will make management practices recommendations available to landowners, including practical ways to control sediment in the watershed. Restoration and protection strategies learned from the two-year
project on the Mackinaw will be applied to other streams.
An $8,100 award from the Wildlife Preservation Fund
and a matching grant from the state Furbearer Fund will
be used to purchase 30 additional otters for Illinois' river
54 • Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995
The Mackinaw River will be the model
for the new management strategies
project/or Illinois streams through a
$10,000 award from the Wildlife Preservation Fund. Restoration and protection strategies learned from the
two-year project will be applied to
other streams.
otter restoration program. A three-year restoration effort for the state endangered species began a year ago,
when wild turkeys from Illinois were traded for river otters supplied by Kentucky. Following the trade, 50 otters
were released along the Wabash River basin in southwestern Illinois. Combining purchased otters with 50 others
obtained in the trade agreement this year will allow otters
to be released at four sites rather than two sites, with an
even number of males and females, and will allow the restoration effort to begin in the Kaskaskia River basin. The
objective is to restore river otter populations to viable levels in Illinois.
Illinois' unique Natural Areas Inventory will be updated this year with the help of $6,000 from the Wildlife
Preservation Fund. When it was completed in 1978, the
study recorded the state's finest natural areas and most
critical endangered species habitat. A total of 1,089 significant natural areas worthy of preservation were known
to exist in Illinois at that time, but since then, more than
350 additional sites have been discovered and designated,
with the vast majority containing habitat for endangered
species. The project involves field work to accurately
document the significant natural features of newly designated savannas in the northern half of the state in order to
support their inclusion on the inventory. It also will determine final boundaries for the areas so they can be mapped.
Using $5,000 from the Wildlife Preservation Fund,
researchers will attempt to determine if pesticide residues
could be contributing to recent population declines of the loggerhead shrike—sometimes called the butcher bird for the way it impales prey on thorns. Listed as threatened in
Illinois because of rare occurrences in the upper two-thirds
of the state, the loggerhead shrike is most numerous in
southern Illinois, but even there its numbers appear to be
declining. Researchers plan to collect 50 eggs from specific nests in 15 southern Illinois counties. The collection
will not significantly affect shrike productivity or nest success. Eggs will be analyzed for traces of pesticides and
results will be compared to similar studies conducted in
the 1970s to help determine what role, if any, pesticide
residues might play in reduced fledgling and adult survival rates.
A 3 1/2-day workshop to show how to modify traditional wetland management practices to help accommodate the feeding and resting needs of migrating shorebirds
received $3,100 in funding from the Wildlife Preservation
Fund. Shorebirds need to use wetlands as stopover points
as they migrate to and from their southern wintering homes
and their northern breeding grounds. However, many
wetlands that once existed in Illinois no longer remain,
and management practices at existing wetlands often fail
to have the food and habitat that shorebirds need.
In addition to contributions made at tax time, donations to the Illinois Wildlife Preservation can be made directly by sending a check payable to the fund in care of
the Department of Conservation, Division of Natural Heritage, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1787. •
Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995• 55
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