Joins Senate in Supporting $100 Million Annually
for Open Space Acquisition and Protection

The Illinois House today, on a 107-0 vote, approved Senate Joint Resolution 52 calling for $100 million annually in new funding to protect open space as part of any state capital spending plan. The measure was adopted by the full Senate May 30th, and will now be delivered to Governor Blagojevich and the four legislative leaders negotiating a new state budget.

“Protecting parks and natural areas for future generations is a critical function of state government, and in recent years we have not had the resources to protect the special places of our state from development,” said State Representative Harry Osterman (D-Chicago), who sponsored SJR 52, which calls for $100 million annually in new conservation spending, in the House. “Just as we need to shore up our transportation systems and provide quality schools, we have to protect places for recreation, relaxation and wildlife.”

“Senators on both sides of the aisle, from all parts of Illinois, agree that investing in protected land for the future is a very smart use of public funds,” said State Senator Jeff Schoenberg, (D-Evanston), who introduced the resolution in the State Senate. “If we don't include open space protection as part of the next capital spending plan, many valuable acres will either be lost to development forever, or become more expensive to taxpayers as land values increase over time.”

The resolution (SJR 52) calls for inclusion of funding to establish a capital program to protect Illinois' natural areas and open spaces for future generations. The Illinois Special Places Acquisition, Conservation and Enhancement Program (iSPACE) would invest in Illinois' future by providing $100 million annually in a capital spending plan for conservation programs.

iSPACE would designate $100 million annually for:

1. a new statewide land acquisition program to protect the State's most precious natural resources and provide recreational opportunities, including matching grants to local governments;
2. implementation of the Partners for Conservation Program (formerly Conservation 2000) through land acquisition and management grants; and
3. implementation of the Hunting Heritage Protection Act by increasing the amount of land acreage available for hunting opportunities in Illinois.

The need for establishing such a program in Illinois is clear. According to Illinois State Land Conservation Funding, a report released in March authored by the Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land, Illinois ranks dead last in the Midwest in state-owned protected land. Only 1 percent of Illinois' land is owned by the state and protected for future generations.

The Illinois State Land Conservation Funding report also documents that funding in Illinois for protecting open land has dropped by roughly 80 percent over the last few years. This decrease in funding is happening at a time when the IDNR estimates a need of $3 billion to protect and maintain Illinois' parks and natural areas.

Without reliable land acquisition funding, IDNR has struggled with the goals of the Hunting Heritage Protection Act, designed to increase the amount of acreage in Illinois available for hunting. Urban park districts also have a large backlog of acquisition and restoration needs.

To address these needs, Partners for Parks and Wildlife, a grassroots coalition that intends to secure and increase funding for open space and park acquisition, natural area preservation, wildlife habitat protection and recreational opportunities in Illinois, is building a coalition in support of the iSPACE program. More information is available at: www.partnersforparksandwildlife.org.

iSPACE Supporters (as of 6/28/07):

• Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative
• Calumet Ecological Park Association
• City of Chicago
• Chicago Park District
• Environment Illinois
• Environmental Law and Policy Center
• Forest Preserve District of DuPage County
• Friends of the Parks
• Illinois Association of Park Districts
• Illinois Audubon Society
• Illinois Environmental Council
• Lake County Forest Preserve District
• Land Trust Alliance
• League of Illinois Bicyclists
• Liberty Prairie Conservancy
• Lower DesPlaines Ecosystem Partnership
• National Wild Turkey Federation
• Natural Lands Institute
• NeighborSpace
• Openlands
• Partners for Parks and Wildlife
• Peoria Park District
• Pheasants Forever
• Professional Association for Conservation Resource Managers
• Quail Forever
• Save the Prairie Society
• Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter
• The Conservation Foundation
• The Nature Conservancy
• The Trust for Public Land
• United Bowhunters of Illinois
• White Tails Unlimited