Wildlife Needs Your Help

BY JOHN ALLEN

On the surface, the river otter and the massasauga rattlesnake would seem to have little in common. One is cute, furry and loves to frolic in the water. The other is reclusive, poisonous and hardly one of Illinois' cuddlier creatures.

Tax form check-off benefits Illinois' lesser-known critters.

What these two animals, and hundreds of other native species do have in common is that they've benefitted from taxpayers' contributions to the Wildlife Preservation Fund. Since its establishment 16 years ago, the WPF has raised more than $3.43 million to enhance habitat and fund research and educational programs that benefit "non-game wildlife," another name for animals that cannot be legally hunted.

Although donations to the WPF can be made at any time of the year, the vast majority of contributions come from check-offs on the Illinois income tax forms. This year's forms contain six check-offs.

Taxpayers wishing to support the Wildlife Preservation Fund should check the box on Line 26a of the IL1040 form or line 10 of the Tele-file form. Internet filers also will be able to support the fund. While taxpayers may contribute any amount they wish, the minimum donation is $1. Those who elect to support the fund will have their refund reduced or their taxes owed increased by the same amount as their donation.

Allocation of the money donated to the fund begins with the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Advisory Committee, an 11-member lay panel that reviews grant applications submitted by groups and individuals from around the state. The committee usually recommends around 40 small projects (under $1,000) and a handful of larger projects to DNR Director Brent Manning.

For Fiscal Year 2000, there will be 43 small projects and nine larger ones. The nine large projects include:

• $20,000 to determine the movement and habitat use of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake in Clinton County. The snakes will be caught and fitted with radio transmitters that will track their movement from wetlands in the spring to the

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uplands and low-lying wet grasslands during the summer.

• $10,000 to conduct a qualitative and quantitative mussel bed study of select Mississippi River locations based on species number and diversity.

• $9,908 to study the ecology and population dynamics of the yellow-headed blackbird, a state-endangered species.

• $5,000 to develop and test biological control agents for the control of garlic mustard plants, an exotic species.

• $4,481 to conduct small mammal inventories at the Savanna Army Depot.

• $3,386 to conduct a site inventory of the Green River Conservation Area in Lee County.

• $3,000 to help restore prairie and wetland habitats at the McNabb Habitat Area in Walnut Point State Park in Douglas County.

• $2,900 to inventory the flowers at Mitchell's Grove Nature Preserve in LaSalle County.

• $2,768 to collect baseline vegetation data for use in restoring habitat at the Savanna Army Depot.

Vern Kleen, DNR Avian Ecology Program manager, said there were more than 60 applications submitted for smaller projects, with 43 approved at a total cost of $40,755.

Among them are $987 for an evaluation of Illinois cave amphipod habitat; $1,000 for the identification, current distribution and relative abundance of the cotton mouse; $750 for an outdoor classroom at Teutopolis Junior High School; $743 for a herpetological survey along the Illinois River; $988 to determine the status of the cricket frog in northern Illinois; and $1,000 for an insect survey at Siloam Springs State Park.

While the massasauga rattler study is among the big projects this year, the WPF in previous years has benefitted such species as the river otter, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, Blanding's turtle, great egret, sandhill crane, red-shouldered hawk and barn owl. All of them are listed as either endangered or threatened species in Illinois.

"Our efforts have paid off in either removing species from the lists or changing their status from endangered to threatened," said Carl Becker, chief of the DNR Division of Natural Heritage. "When we create habitat for wildlife, it helps their populations in the present, which is a strategy that's less costly than waiting until they become endangered in the future.

"The double-crested cormorant was once listed as endangered," Becker continued, "but the population has rebounded so well, thanks in part to the Wildlife Preservation Fund, that it's been completely removed from the list. The eagle, the otter, the sandhill crane and the red-shouldered hawk all went from endangered to threatened and may someday also be removed."

Becker said continued public support of the WPF is essential to the well-being of numerous species of animals. "These species may not be as well-recognized as deer, rabbits, geese or squirrels, but they are important pieces of our natural world and deserve our help. The best way to do that is by checking the boxes on the income tax forms," he said.

Those wishing to support the fund at other times of the year should write to the DNR Wildlife Preservation Fund, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, Ill. 62701-1787.

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