The Bluestem Network Action Alert as of March 7, 1999 is as follows:

Please call your Illinois State Representative today and ask him or her to OPPOSE House Bill 2243, which would weaken the Illinois Endangered Species Act.

You can reach your Illinois State Representative's office by calling the Springfield switchboard at 217-782-2000 and then asking to speak to your state legislator by his or her name.

For information on how to make a local phone call to your Illinois State Representative, please see the Political Contacts page of the River Prairie Group web site.

The background information on House Bill 2243 is as follows:

House Bill 2243 is a dangerous attack on the Illinois Endangered Species Act. This legislation which would require that three animal species that are currently endangered in Illinois be taken off the endangered species list. The species are the Least Brook Lamprey, the Indiana Crayfish, and the Massasauga (note: pronounced mass-uh-saw-guh) Rattlesnake.

Scientific surveys have clearly demonstrated that we are in danger of losing the spieces of our natural heritage from Illinois. The legislation is proposed by legislators who support two major development projects that would jeopardize these species. These legislators hope that eliminating protection for these endangered species will make their pet projects easier to build. The Least Brook Lamprey and Indiana Crayfish are threatened by a proposed dam on Sugar Creek near Marion, Illinois, which the Sierra Club has been working for years to stop because it would unnecessarily destroy a unique, high-quality stream in southern Illinois. The massasauga rattlesnake is threatened by a private resort development on Carlyle Lake.

House Bill 2243 sets a dangerous precedent - delisting a species whenever it becomes inconvenient to a development or agriculture, without any regard at all for the scientific status of a species and the strength of its population in the state.

Your legislator will probably vote on House Bill 2243 within the next two weeks.

Please contact their office today and urge them to protect Illinois' natural heritage and oppose HB 2243.

This ends the Bluestem Network Action Alert.