Sierra Club’s Bluestem Action Alert for March, 2003

River Prairie Group

Please call your ILLINOIS State Representative and ILLINOIS State Senator and urge them to sign the WETLAND PROTECTION LETTER FOR STATE LEGISLATORS. This is a letter circulated among IL State Legislators seeking support for new legislation in 2003 to protect Illinois threatened wetlands from destruction.

HOW YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR IL STATE LEGISLATORS:

You can find your IL State Representative and IL State Senator on the web at:

http://www.elections.state.il.us/dls/pages/DLSAddresscrit.asp

Just type in your 9 digit zip code or your complete address, then click on "Search". Click on the name of your State Legislator to find his/her telephone number. You may also call your Public Library, Town Hall , or the Board of Elections (DuPage County 630-682-7442, Cook County 312-443-5150) to find out this information.

To speak with your ILLINOIS State Senator and State Representative call the IL State Capitol switchboard (217-782-2000) and ask for your State Senator or State Representative by name.

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Remaining wetland areas in Illinois are critical for flood control, protection of water quality and propagation of wildlife. Unfortunately, over time we have lost approximately 90% of our original wetland acreage. To protect our last remaining areas, we historically have relied on the federal government (principally the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers) to protect our wetlands for us. However, recent court decisions have resulted in substantial gaps in the federal protection of wetlands.

Because Illinois lacks a wetland protection program of its own, these growing gaps in federal protections directly threaten our communities with increased flooding, water pollution, loss of recreational opportunities, and wildlife habitat destruction. In northeastern Illinois, several counties (Lake, Kane, and DuPage so far) have adopted

county-level wetland protection programs to protect resources left vulnerable by the growing loopholes in federal programs. These programs were developed after lengthy discussions within those counties involving all interested parties and have generally been effective in protecting wetlands in those counties without imposing unnecessary costs on development. The remaining counties with authority to enact such programs under Section 5-1062 (Cook, McHenry and Will) have also considered or are considering wetland protection programs. Still, there is clearly a need for a state law to protect wetlands statewide.

The sign-on letter is an important first step in moving forward new Illinois Wetlands protection Legislation. The sign-on letter, to be signed by as many State Legislators as possible, would call for six critical provisions not covered by current federal wetlands protection. The six provisions include plugging gaps in the federal protection so that no wetlands are destroyed unless their functions are replaced, keeping the good county programs that are already in place, and providing for fees to cover the costs of the program. To be consistent with current federal programs, normal farming activities that do not destroy wetland functions are to be exempted. The letter also calls for IL wetlands legislation that includes a permitting process that is fair, efficient, and simple. Finally, the Department of Natural Resources, experts in flooding and wildlife activities, will be called upon to be the lead agency, consulting with the Illinois EPA..

Your call to your State Legislators within the next week is critical. An IL Wetlands Bill went down to defeat in Spring, 2002. Illinois wetlands are threatened! We need to act now!