OutdoorIllinois
VOLUME X, NUMBER 1
OUTDOOR ILLINOIS is published monthly by the
Department of Natural Resources, Office of Public Services, 524 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1787,
phone (217) 782-7454, e-mail editor@dnrmail.state-il.us.
(Publication number ISSN 1072-7175)
Periodical Postage Paid at Springfield, IL
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OUTDOOR
ILLINOIS, Department of Natural Resources, Dept. NL,
524 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1787.
George H. Ryan
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Governor
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Brent Manning
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Director
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James D. Garner
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Deputy Director
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Jim Riemer, Jr.
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Deputy Director
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STAFF: James L. Futgenzi, office director; Gary
Thomas, editor; Liz Pensoneau, managing editor; John
Allen, staff writer; P.J. Perea, staff writer; Adele Hodde,
chief photographer: Chas. J. Dees, staff photographer;
Charles J. Copley, design & layout; Cheryi Gwinn, production coordinator; Vera Lynn Smith, circulation.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Internet Address: http://dnr.state.il.us
Staff-written material appearing in this publication
may be reprinted without permission, provided that
OUTDOOR ILLINOIS, Illinois Department of Natural
Resources, is acknowledged as the source. OUTDOOR ILLINOIS assumes no responsibility for the
return of unsolicited manuscripts or illustrations.
Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and
those funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and other agencies is available to all individuals
regardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age,
religion or other non-merit factors. If you believe you
have been discriminated against, contact the funding
source's civil rights office and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, DNR, 524 S. Second,
Springfield, IL 62701-1787; 217/785-0067; TTY
217/782-9175.
All public meetings conducted by the Department
of Natural Resources will be accessible to handicapped individuals in compliance with Executive
Order No. 5 and pertinent state and federal laws,
upon notification of the anticipated attendance. Handicapped persons planning to attend and needing special accommodations should inform the Department of
Natural Resources at least five days prior to the meeting by telephoning or writing the Equal Employment
Opportunity Officer, Department of Natural
Resources, 524 S. Second SL, Springfield, IL 62701-1787, phone (217) 785-0067.
Department ol Natural Resources information is available to the hearing impaired by calling DNR's Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (217) 782-9175.
Printed by the Authority of
the State of Illinois
PRT3216173-27,849-12/01
Illinois Department of
Natural Resources
Printed on recycled and
recyclable paper with soy-based ink.
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Illinois
Department of
Natural
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2
Chase those Wintertime Blues (and Snows)!
The light goose conservation order extends opportunities
for waterfowl hunters.
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Thank the Hunter
More than five dozen Prairie State sites receive
Pittman-Robertson dollars through Illinois' W-76-D program.
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Baby, It's Cold Outside
What you need to know to avoid becoming a winter weather
health statistic.
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Deer and Turkey Condo
At HIGGDISAW Hunting Club, being in a blind can be likened to
hunting from your living room, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen.
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Central Illinois Treasure
Coffeen Lake has everything an outdoor sportsman
could ask for.
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NewsFront
We'll give you this year's deer harvest numbers, tell you about
largemouth bass virus, give you the dates for Endangered Species
Protection Board meetings, tell you how to win an
original Maynard Reece wildlife painting and how you can attend
this year's Conservation Hall of Fame banquet, and inform you
about our editor's retirement in NewsFront.
On the cover...
David Hammond, Goreville, took this month's cover
photograph of Canada geese sitting amidst an icy pond at
the Union County Wildlife Refuge near Jonesboro.
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January 2002
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OutdoorIlinois
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When the United States was
attacked on Sept.
11, the roles and responsibilities of police agencies
throughout the nation
changed, possibly forever.
While most people
probably don't think of
Conservation Police Offiicers as participants in
homeland security measures, these uniquely
trained and equipped officers can play
a role that would be difficult for other
agencies to fill.
After the country was placed on a
heightened state of awareness by President Bush, citizens quickly responded by
calling police agencies to report suspicious activities. "White powder" reports
by the hundreds came in to federal, state
and local law enforcement agencies.
None in Illinois turned out to be related
to terrorist activity. However, police
must respond, especially during this continuing period of heightened alert.
CPO's have statewide police authority in all areas of state law.
Reports of suspicious activity
on our major rivers, especially around bridges, have
resulted in calls for CPO
assistance because they have
access to boats, ATVs and
four-wheel-drive vehicles,
along with the specialized
training necessary to deploy
these resources quickly.
In one instance, the Illinois
Emergency Management
Agency reported a suspicious person who
had been on an island three miles south of
Quincy in the Mississippi River for several days. Directly opposite the island is a
chemical plant with a large ammonia storage tank right on the river. A CPO was
dispatched to investigate. The man was an
official camped on the island to note the
passing of participants in a canoe race.
Another report alleged that a man with a
bomb was in a boat near a bridge. Officers
located the individual, who was a Canadian tourist carrying camera equipment.
Numerous other calls to check on river
activities have brought similar results, but no other police agency has the capability to
respond in a timely manner to these areas.
Our staff is working with our state's
Director of Homeland Security, the
Coast Guard and the Chicago Police
Department's Marine Unit to provide
maximum coverage for the Chicago
lakefront. In a shining example of how
federal, state and local law enforcement
agencies can join forces in a time of crisis, these agencies are scheduling water
and shore patrols to maximize coverage
with minimum overlap.
Our Lake Michigan Enforcement Unit
usually has its two 36-foot and one 27-foot
patrol boats out of the water in winter storage by now, but will continue to conduct
patrols as long as the lake remains open
through the winter. CPOs also have been
conducting water and shore patrols in the
vicinity of the Zion nuclear power station.
Elsewhere, CPOs are assisting with patrols
around nuclear power plants.
Like all police agencies, the Illinois
Conservation Police stand ready to
respond when called upon and are proud to do their part in helping to provide for the safety of the citizens of Illinois.
January 2002
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OutdoorIlinois
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