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VALUE ADDED in DOLLARS:For keeping these, the highest educated, best trained, most productive, most innovative, and most dedicated state employees in a tight budget year.Endangered Species: Staff from the Heritage Staff were involved with the first successful prosecution under the Illinois Endangered Species Act.( A pet franchise based in Florida was selling the endangered spotted turtle in a Cook County pet shop.). Northeast Illinois: Eight years ago the IDNR selected people from the Heritage Division to direct the bipartisan conversion of the Joliet Arsenal into America's First National Tallgrass Prairie. Today the land value of the 19,000 acre Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is assessed at over $95 million. This outstanding accomplishment was done for the cost of having staff working on the project that had the education, experience and dedication to see the project through. The taxpayers of Illinois got $95 million dollars of open space in Will County, the fastest developing county in Illinois for the salaries of a handful of talented and dedicated state employees. The Natural Areas Association: The NAA is an international organization which is holding its Annual Meeting in Chicago this October, considers the Illinois Nature Preserves System in Illinois to be the model state program and most Midwestern states have modeled their programs after Illinois.. George B. Fell, from Rockford, developed the idea after sensing that a higher level of protection was needed for the rarest natural lands. Turns out he was right. After Mr.. Fell passed away The Natural Areas Association created the GEORGE B. FELL AWARD to honor this visionary man from Illinois. The staff of the Division of Natural Heritage and the Nature Preserves Commission has saved the taxpayers of Illinois many times over what it costs to keep them working for conservation, land protection, habitat restoration and defense of these lands from illegal dumping, illegal logging, trespass by ATVs, and theft of wildlife for the illicit pet trade. What have these state employees done for you lately? Northwest Illinois. IDNR also asked this group to lead the effort to convert the Savanna Army Depot into conservation uses. Within the last 6 months over 10,000 acres where added to the Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge in Carroll and Jo Davies County . This is land is valued at over $30 million; AGAIN open space for hikers, bicyclist, hunters, fisherman at NO COST to the Illinois taxpayer. The Midewin and Savanna projects alone account for over 29,000 acres of open space valued at over $125 million, at no cost to Illinois taxpayers.... These are just two of the larger examples of what the Natural Heritage and Nature Preserves Commission employees have done and continue to do for the taxpayers of Illinois . No other division, Department or group within IDNR can make that claim. The value added that these employees bring to Illinois state government and its impact to conservation of natural areas, biodiversity, endangered species, economic development, and the well being of generations of citizens to come is singular in its scope, its scale, its size and its historical significance. | |