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Illinois Department of Natural Resources Budget CutsIllinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is facing enormous cuts in STAFF and funding to purchase natural areas. Governor Blagojevich's proposed 2005 budget eliminates ALL funding for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and the Natural Heritage staff.This leaves our state's most valuable natural areas and wildlife vulnerable and unprotected! Natural heritage staff assist landowners, survey wildlife and protected species to monitor health, among many other important functions. Additionally, many of these professionals have a great deal of experience benefiting DNR's mission, and it will be difficult to rebuild that experience any time in the near future, if their positions are removed from DNR's budget. There have been many email messages from conservation groups concerning these budget cuts, and we apologize if you have received many of them or have already acted to voice your opinion. We will be as concise as possible, but urge you to take action. The conservation community is virtually united on this issue, but we need individuals to act. Here's what you need to do: 1. Write the Governor and copy your state senator and state representative. You should use the attached form letter and other informational attachments to formulate your ideas, but DO PERSONALIZE the letter to make it your own and unique. 2. Send the letter to the Governor's Chicago office address as soon as possible: Governor Blagojevich James R. Thomson Center Floor 16 100 W. Randolph Chicago, Illinois 60601 Find your state representative. Find your state senator. 3. Follow up in a week with phone calls to the Governor's Chicago office (312/814-2121). Ask the Governor to restore the budget and the head count for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, the IDNR Division of Natural Heritage, and the Endangered Species Protection Board. 4. Stay tuned for more developments· Feel free to copy Prairie Rivers Network on your letter. We greatly appreciate your help. Our state's natural resources and those who protect them need our help. See also: Sample Letter to the Governor The DNR Program's value in dollars Fact Sheet on DNR [Thanks to Fran Harty of The Nature Conservancy for supplying information - adapted by Prairie Rivers in some cases.] | |