Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

I just came across this story. Evidentally, the federal government is holding back on giving a 1 million dollar grant to the Illinois DNR. From what i can tell this is being done because the federal government feels that money from license sales has not been spent properly, in other wordsthe moneyhas gone to pay for everything but local DNR needs. This issue seems to have come to a head under Blago. Not surprising.

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

Something like this almost happened here in New Jersey, but the NJ officals got scared and did the correct thing

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

The "correct thing" is a foreign concept in Illinois in this regard.

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

Amen brother!

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

A few weeks ago we went to a local Whitetail Classic Show in Illinois and the Game Warden there said that he was limited to a 20 minute call on his cell phone a day,he had to pay to get some used tires put on the company truck,if anyone had any kind of problem with Tresspassers or Poachers to call the Highway Patrol or Sheriff's Dept,anyone there that applied for certain Deer hunting permits/drawings would have to check On-line to see if they were drawn because they (Capital in Springfield) didn't have money for stamps to mail out the results,they were closing down Fort Kaskaski and Fort DeCharter and some other places/Forts in Illinois and "NO" hunting was allowed in any of those certain area's that were always open before.They have cut back on all kinds of Funding as far as any Conservation.It was sad to hear that coming from someone that has to enforce the lawand have limited funds...as most of us know it is "VERY" expensive to hunt anywhere in Illinois if your living Out of State...I think thats where a lot of the mis-use of Funds is going to line someone else's pockets and not back into Conservation to help with Wild Life and local Law Enforcement!

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

Do you have a link to this story, I'd love to read it... I heard something similar to this about Blago. being investigated by the FBI, for miss use of funds, like the Habitat stamp money, it'sONLY supposed to be used to purchase other Habitat in IL, but it'sbeing used instead for public schools, park up keep etc. Apparently people have filed a lawsuit under the the "Freedom of information act" to see what it is that the FBI is investigating, of course Blago doesn't want it released in fear on biased info before re-election time...go figure.

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

Its on the Prairie State Outdoors website. I dont have the link but it should be easy to google.

The whole situation royally pisses me off. It costs me over 50 dollars for the NR license and habitat stamp just to hunt small game on my own land. Would cost me another 400 bucks to deer and turkey hunt, and another 400 bucks if i wanted to bow hunt. Yet, very little of that money would go to where it is needed.

It really doesn't have a major effect in my neck of the woods. It is all private land and you hardly ever see a game warden anyway and there is not much problem with poaching or trespass. But it has to be bad in other areas where the game wardens and access to public land is needed,

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

www.prairiestateoutdoors.com


Story is on the front page. NO ONE should be surprised that our esteemed Governor has been raping the IDNR budget. This guy rarely even leaves Chicago, so to say he is out of touch would be a HUGE understatement. I pray that he ends up in prison, because he is talking about running for a 3rd term in 2010. He is directly to blame for the vast majority of the budgetary woes currently being experienced by the IDNR. All resident hunters in Illinois must be ready to hand him his walking papers after this term if he isn't in prison by then. ;)

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

I'm surprised that he got re-elected. But then i remember the power of the greater Chicago area Democratic vote. hard to fight that when you probably have more registered voters in Cook County than all the hunters in Illinois. [:o]

RE: Government holding back grant from Illinois DNR
 

How is it that the money we give to the state government for hunting gets misused so we get screwed one way. Then since we were screwed by the state, the government won't give us money. Seems like no matter what we do the government bends us over in Illinois, I think hunting licenses are the way Blago pays for his private jet.