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April 30, 2024

Illinois Mixed Bag: Farm Bureau opposes DNR wetlands control

Hunting, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Illinois Farm Bureau has launched an action request asking members to contact their state senator to urge them to vote no on proposed legislation that could allow the Illinois DNR to regulate every size wetland in the state.
Additionally, Farm Bureau members were encouraged to receive alerts via text message and email highlighting further information on Senate Bill 771, previously known as Senate Bill 3669.

Illinois Mixed Bag: Farm Bureau opposes DNR wetlands control Read More »

Illinois’ Emiquon Nature Preserve in spotlight as wetland protections lifted

Featured, Home Page News, Illinois, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last year stripping wetlands of most federal protections is drawing more attention to places like Fulton County’s Emiquon Nature Preserve, and what states like Illinois can do in response.
According to DNR, just 2.6% of Illinois’ landscape is wetland. Yet 40% of the state’s species depend on that wetland habitat. A bill proposed in the Illinois General Assembly would create some protection for wetlands at the state level – though there is some confusion about the measure.

Illinois’ Emiquon Nature Preserve in spotlight as wetland protections lifted Read More »

Morel hunters, turkey hunters find common (woods) ground

Hunting, Illinois, News /

Two very different kinds of Illinois hunters are diverging in the woods right now in nearly every county.

What happens when morel hunters meet turkey hunters? Chaos, DNR warns.
Turkey season opened in early April and wraps up May 9 in the south zone and May 16 in the north zone. Mushroom hunting is ahead of schedule this year, with morels being reported across much of the state by mid-April.

Morel hunters, turkey hunters find common (woods) ground Read More »

Endangered whooping crane rescued from Illinois suburb

Illinois, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Brad Semel, a DNR endangered species recovery specialist based in McHenry, was called to Wilmette April 24 and quickly mapped out a plan. The International Crane Foundation arrived a few hours later and crew member Hillary Thompson wore a special suit that made her look like a mother bird – an attempt to lure the crane within reach.

Endangered whooping crane rescued from Illinois suburb Read More »

Ralph Loos: Some readers not happy with story regarding hunter attitudes toward culling to combat CWD in Illinois

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, Opinion /

The thing about sticking your arm in the den of an angry raccoon is that you usually know you’re sticking your arm in the den of an angry raccoon. But you do it anyway.
And so it goes with my job. Best I can remember, it had been a handful of years – maybe even 10 – since I’d heard from a group of deer hunters who have serious problems with the state’s CWD surveillance program.

Ralph Loos: Some readers not happy with story regarding hunter attitudes toward culling to combat CWD in Illinois Read More »

Spring spawning success for sturgeon at Alton, Ill.

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Lake sturgeon are spawning once again on the Mississippi River at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam.
The whiskered fish has been in the news after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently decided to not add it to the federal Endangered Species List. At Alton and West Alton, where the Melvin Price site includes a dam and two locks about 17 miles north of St. Louis, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been monitoring lake sturgeon habitat and spawning, while also allowing the river system to operate efficiently.

Spring spawning success for sturgeon at Alton, Ill. Read More »

A look inside the numbers as Illinois youth turkey hunters set new harvest record in 2024

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

Jase Corley wasted little time. The 10-year-old from St. Jacob shot a gobbler – his first ever turkey – on the morning of March 30, opening day of the 2024 Illinois youth season.
More than 2,000 youngsters around the state soon followed Corley’s lead. DNR reported a harvest of 2,006 turkeys during the youth season, breaking the previous record of 1,733 set four years ago.

A look inside the numbers as Illinois youth turkey hunters set new harvest record in 2024 Read More »

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