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Proposed changes to Great Lakes water use Gov. George H. Ryan today announced proposed changes to an agreement governing Great Lakes water use as the next step forward in protecting the Great Lakes. "It is important that the Great Lakes states and the governments of Ontario and Quebec have the tools necessary to ensure Great Lakes water is used wisely to benefit all the citizens," said Ryan, a member of the Council of Great Lakes Governors. Ryan urged Illinoisans to review and comment on the council's Annex 2001, a proposed amendment to the Great Lakes Charter of 1985, which would update the regional water management system for the Great Lakes in order to protect, conserve, restore and improve the water and water dependent natural resources of the Great Lakes Basin. Comments will be accepted until Wednesday, Feb. 28. The Annex 2001 is currently under discussion with the governments of Ontario and Quebec. Under the proposal, the Great Lakes governors and the premiers of Ontario and Quebec would: • Forge a new binding agreement to manage the Great Lakes waters; • Create a new standard requiring an improvement to the water and water-dependent natural resources of the Great Lakes before allowing new or increased water withdrawals; • Implement the new standard for interim decisions under the U.S. Water Resources Development Act (WRDA); • Obtain better information so water is managed rationally; and • Include the premiers in reviewing and consulting on all new proposed diversions subject to the WRDA by lowering the trigger level for diversions under the Charter. Illinois is the only Great Lakes state with a significant diversion of water out of the Great Lakes basin. Illinois' diversion is the water supply for more than 6.3 million northeastern Illinois residents and provides a direct connection between the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway and the Illinois and Mississippi Waterway. The U.S. Supreme Court retains jurisdiction over Illinois' diversion, and the allocation of water from Lake Michigan is the responsibility of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. As a preexisting diversion, Illinois' continued use of water from Lake Michigan is not subject to the new requirements of the proposed Annex 2001 or the follow-up binding agreement.
In 1985, the governors and premiers of the Great Lakes states and provinces signed the Great Lakes Charter to guide them in the wise use and management of the Great Lakes water resource. Under the current charter, the governors and premiers of Ontario and Quebec notify and consult with each other on proposals for diversions and consumptive uses of waters within their Great Lakes Basin of more than five million gallons (19 million liters) per day. The Charter contains a set of management principles for use by all: however, it is a non-binding agreement. In 1998, a proposal to export bulk quantities of Lake Superior water to the Far East caused state, provincial and both federal governments to re-examine the strength and adequacy of the legal foundation upon which Great Lakes water management authorities exist. This re-examination showed that a new binding agreement was needed between the states and provinces to properly manage the Great Lakes water resource. Annex 2001, which is an amendment to the 1985 Great Lakes Charter, provides interim guidance for the management and use of Great Lakes water while the formal binding agreements are being prepared. "This proposed annex represents a significant step forward in protecting our Great Lakes," said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who chairs the council. "The public's input in this process is critical as we work with our counterparts in Ontario and Quebec to build a more effective regional water management system." Following the public comment period, the governors, in consultation with the premiers,
will review the comments and make changes before releasing the final Annex 2001. They will then begin developing a set of more binding agreements as agreed to in the annex. Comments should be forwarded to the Council of Great Lakes Governors by e-mail at cglg@cglg.org, by fax to (312) 407-0038, or by mail to: Annex 2001 Comments, Council of Great Lakes Governors, 35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 1850, Chicago. Ill. 60601. The Council of Great Lakes Governors is a non-profit, non-partisan partnership of governors of the Great Lakes states: Illinois (George H. Ryan): Indiana (Frank O'Bannon); Michigan (John Engler); Minnesota (Jesse Ventura); New York (George E. Pataki); Ohio (Bob Taft); Pennsylvania (Tom Ridge); and Wisconsin (Tommy G. Thompson). Through the council, the governors collectively tackle the environmental and economic challenges facing the citizens of the region. New museum facility opens at Lockport After more than 13 years of operation in the historic Gaylord Building, the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery has opened the doors to its larger, more accessible ground-floor facility in the Norton Building. The State Museum is a division of the Department of Natural Resources, an agency with a long history of involvement with the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor. "The short move strategically retains the museum's position within the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor while creating enhanced opportunities for visitors to experience the art and artists of Illinois, past and present." said Museum Director R. Bruce McMillan. "With this move, the museum will continue its longstanding relationship with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Museum will serve as an anchor at the south end of the public landing with the National Trust's Gaylord Building as the anchor at the north end." "It is our goal to have the ISM Lockport Gallery become a cultural and educational stop for the southwest suburbs and fast-growing area of Will County," said DNR Director Brent Manning. "The new location will serve as a gateway for exploring not only the museum but also an entire historic and cultural campus." Easily accessed from this point are the Scale House (slated as a future visitors' center), historic downtown Lockport, the Gaylord Donnelley Canal Trail, the Gaylord Building and the Will County Historical Society's I & M Canal Museum and Pioneer Settlement. "The new location, 201 West 10th Street, Lockport, will offer numerous advantages, such as improved accessibility, ample parking and expanded exhibition space," said Jim Zimmer, dministrator of the Lockport Gallery. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; closed Mondays and holidays. There is no admission charge. For further information or to arrange group tours, call (815) 38-7400. Trail grant applications accepted now Applications for the Illinois Bicycle Path, Recreational Trails and Off-Highway Vehicle Trails grant programs will be accepted through March 1. The bike path grant program provides up to a 50-percent match to local units of government to acquire, construct or rehabilitate non-motorized trails. The recreational trails program provides up to 80 percent in federal funding to local, state and federal government agencies and non-profit organizations to acquire, develop, rehabilitate or maintain both motorized and non-motorized trails. The OHV program provides up to 100-percent funding to government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and other groups or individuals to develop, operate, maintain and acquire land for off-road vehicle use. Applications are available by calling (217) 782-7481. No reason to believe cougars exist in Illinois Despite repeated promises to provide evidence backing up his claims of a wild cougar population in Illinois and a release of the animals into the wild by state and federal officials, Virgil Smith has failed to do so.
Department of Natural Resources Director Brent Manning and several staff members met with Mr. Smith in mid-October at Smith's request. "Repeated requests not withstanding. Mr. Smith tailed once again to produce just one piece of irrefutable, tangible evidence to support his allegations," Manning said. "We believe he hasn't produced such evidence for one simple reason—he doesn't have any." DNR officials emphatically and categorically denied any knowledge that the state of Illinois or the DNR specifically has participated in a cougar release effort. At the meeting and in correspondence dated Aug. 28, Mr. Smith agreed to discontinue his allegations of wrongdoing directed at DNR or the state of Illinois. Moreover, when requested by Illinois State Police Director Sam Nolan to provide evidence of state participation in any purported release, no information was provided by Mr. Smith. However, since the meeting Mr. Smith has continued his unfounded accusations. Mr. Smith contends there is a population of 250 to 300 cougars living in the wild in Illinois and that state and federal officials have participated in a secret release of the animals. As early as 1998, the DNR urged Mr. Smith to share his alleged evidence with state biologists. "In telephone calls, letters and now a face-to-face meeting, we have asked Mr. Smith to show us his evidence," Manning said. "Time and time again he has promised to prove his claims, and time and time again he has failed to do so." Jeff Ver Steeg, chief of DNR's Division of Wildlife Resources, noted that more than 150,000 hunters took to the woods in recent weeks for the firearm deer season, and the DNR has not received a single piece of evidence to suggest that a wild population of cougars exists in the state. "If Mr. Smith's claims were true, we would be hearing about it," Ver Steeg said. Mountain lions were native to Illinois, but were extirpated from the state by about the mid-1800s. There are no known wild populations currently in Illinois.
Hunt preserves to extend the hunting seasons While the more traditional hunting seasons have closed or are closing, hunting preserves remain open. The 2000-2001 edition of the Hunt Illinois Hunting Preserves brochure is available and lists shooting preserves, their locations, availability, species hunted and a phone number. The brochure is produced through a cooperative effort of the Illinois Hunting and Outdoor Sports Association and the Department of Natural Resources. Hunters can obtain the brochure from the IHOSA by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Illinois Hunting and Outdoor Sports Association, P.O. Box 141, Dundee, Ill. 60118-0141. Brochures also are available at DNR regional offices, the DNR Chicago office, Vandalia office and at the Division of Land Management office in Springfield.
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