[BCNnet] FW: [iecboardandstaff] Conservation Forum

[DRD]

BCN friends,

 

I received the following email from Jonathan Goldman, Executive Director of
the Illinois Environmental Council, and am forwarding it for the interest of
all bird conservationists.

 

Donnie Dann

Highland Park/Lake County

donniebird at yahoo.com 

 

 

 

  _____  

From: Jonathan Goldman [mailto:jgoldman at ilenviro.org] 
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 8:49 AM
To: BoardandStaff; Carl Vogel
Cc: Claudia Emken
Subject: [iecboardandstaff] Conservation Forum

 

IEC co-sponsored the Conservation Forum on Saturday in Springfield, along
with the Illinois Association of Park Districts and Illinois Federation for
Outdoor Resources. More than 100 people attended representing about 80
organizations. The attendees divided into breakout sessions to develop
priorities for natural resource issues. Not surprisingly, the focus came
down to the need for more money and professional management.

 

Both Governor Blagojevich and Treasurer Topinka were invited to address the
group - Topinka attended while Blagojevich did not. Al Grosboll is working
on her campaign and he introduced me to her and told her about our dinner,
so we have a very good connection for our invitation to her to attend the
dinner.

 

Topinka made the following pledges:

 

Bring back Conservation Congress.

Rebuild DNR back into a professional agency.

Hire a natural resources professional to run DNR.

Stop raids on special funds.

Policies will be guided by science not politics.

Invest in state parks and expand access to recreational opportunities.

 

Her comments were very well received, as you can imagine.

 

See below for an article in yesterday's Journal Register about the event.


 <http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/83191.asp> 


Topinka criticizes Blagojevich 
GOP gubernatorial hopeful slams governor's conservation record 

By  <mailto:chris.young at sj-r.com> CHRIS YOUNG
OUTDOORS EDITOR

Published Sunday, April 09, 2006 

State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka offered stinging criticism of Gov. Rod
Blagojevich during a speech to more than 100 leaders of environmental and
conservation groups gathered at the University of Illinois at Springfield on
Saturday. 

Blagojevich did not attend the conference. 

"Even worse than his absence and indifference is the harm that Rod
Blagojevich has caused to conservation interests," Topinka said in a
15-minute speech. "And the harm has been significant." 

The Republican candidate for governor attended a one-day conservation forum
where hunting, fishing and trapping advocates mingled with bicyclists, park
district representatives and bird-watchers. 

The group leaders were meeting in hopes of consolidating their political
clout and drafting priorities for funding and leadership of the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources. Ideas coming out of Saturday's meetings are
to be shared with candidates for statewide office in hopes that some would
be incorporated into their platforms, said Bob Becker, president of the
Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources, one of the forum's sponsors. 

Topinka told natural resource advocates that DNR has "taken more than its
share of cuts," reductions that hurt the agency's ability to be a "wise and
capable steward for natural resources." 

"Rod Blagojevich has failed in this very im-portant responsibility," she
said. "The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has virtually been
decimated." 

She says the result has been low staff morale, with many experienced hands
being demoted, laid off or fired. One hundred twenty-five employees were
laid off in 2004, including about a dozen park superintendents. 

The agency's budget has been reduced from about $211 million in fiscal 2004
to $187 million in fiscal 2006. The number of employees is down from more
than 2,000 in fiscal 2004 to just over 1,600. 

In the proposed fiscal 2007 budget, Gov. Blagojevich included a $16 million
increase for DNR to $203.6 million. The proposed spending plan also
increases the number of employees to 1,743. However, a budget for 2007 has
not yet been passed by the General Assembly or signed by the governor. 

"Unlike Gov. Blagojevich, I will never treat conservation, open spaces and
outdoor recreation as luxuries," Topinka said. "They are not luxuries - they
have great community value." 

She said a person with a background in natural resources management should
head DNR and took aim at Blagojevich's choices for DNR director - Joel
Brunsvold, a former state legislator, and acting director Sam Flood, who is
a state Democratic Party official. 

"I will rebuild DNR to be a department that is respected throughout the
country," she said. "And I will hire a natural resource professional to run
the department." 

The forum included many former participants in the Conservation Congress, a
collection of natural resources constituents. The congress has not met since
2002. 

The Illinois Association of Park Districts and Illinois Environmental
Council joined the Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources in organizing
the forum.

 

=======================================
Jonathan Goldman
Executive Director
Illinois Environmental Council
Illinois Environmental Council Education Fund
1608 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Suite 511
Chicago, IL 60647
Tel: (773) 252-5954
Fax: (773) 252-5953
Cell: (312) 388-7358

 

In Springfield:
107 West Cook Street, Suite E
Springfield, Illinois 62704
Tel: (217) 544-5954
Fax: (217) 544-5958

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://screamer.ece.iit.edu/pipermail/bcnnet/attachments/20060410/e845aaf3/attachment.html