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Ill. park closures raise concern about wildlife
Illinois state government unable to give answers about endangered animal safety
Chris Davies, Daily Vidette Staff Reporter
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: News
When the state of Illinois closes several state parks for an indefinite period of time beginning Oct. 1, the visitors may not be the only ones who are affected.
"We aren't certain if there are parks that require maintenance in order to provide a specific habitat for the animals to live in," Angelo Capparella, professor of biology at ISU, said. "Because of this we don't know yet if the closure will pose an immediate problem to any species."
In a time when commercial expansion is on-going throughout the state, many state parks offer a "habitat island," as Capparella described, for specific species. For the time being, the closure may not be critical to these animals, as their habitat will most likely remain without significant work.
"There are many animals in parks in Illinois that have special concerns. There just isn't much habitat left for them," Capparella said. "If the park is closed it won't hurt them short term, but we don't know what happens to them in the long run. The worst would be if these lands are sold off for commercial development."
No one within the state government has been able to say whether or not these closures will be permanent or simply a temporary solution to the budget crisis.
Sophomore Craig Nuzzo, a marketing major, has concerns about the well-being of any endangered or threatened species living in Illinois.
"It makes me wonder what will happen to these animals," Nuzzo said. "If there are protected animals in the state I would think that there would have to be something or someone to take care of them."
The state of Illinois will reassess the budget next year to determine if there are sufficient funds to reopen these parks.
Until that time, it seems that humans and animals will be playing the waiting game. According to Capparella, the hope for the animals is that they won't need us during that time.
Fourteen state historic sites are scheduled to be closed October 1. Eleven state parks are slated for closure November 1. The closures are considered indefinite but will last at least through the end of the fiscal year, July 1, 2009. Once entrances to state parks are barred on November 1, the public will no longer be allowed to enter the sites. Any person entering the closed state parks after November 1 could be arrested and charged with trespassing.
"We aren't certain if there are parks that require maintenance in order to provide a specific habitat for the animals to live in," Angelo Capparella, professor of biology at ISU, said. "Because of this we don't know yet if the closure will pose an immediate problem to any species."
In a time when commercial expansion is on-going throughout the state, many state parks offer a "habitat island," as Capparella described, for specific species. For the time being, the closure may not be critical to these animals, as their habitat will most likely remain without significant work.
"There are many animals in parks in Illinois that have special concerns. There just isn't much habitat left for them," Capparella said. "If the park is closed it won't hurt them short term, but we don't know what happens to them in the long run. The worst would be if these lands are sold off for commercial development."
No one within the state government has been able to say whether or not these closures will be permanent or simply a temporary solution to the budget crisis.
Sophomore Craig Nuzzo, a marketing major, has concerns about the well-being of any endangered or threatened species living in Illinois.
"It makes me wonder what will happen to these animals," Nuzzo said. "If there are protected animals in the state I would think that there would have to be something or someone to take care of them."
The state of Illinois will reassess the budget next year to determine if there are sufficient funds to reopen these parks.
Until that time, it seems that humans and animals will be playing the waiting game. According to Capparella, the hope for the animals is that they won't need us during that time.
Fourteen state historic sites are scheduled to be closed October 1. Eleven state parks are slated for closure November 1. The closures are considered indefinite but will last at least through the end of the fiscal year, July 1, 2009. Once entrances to state parks are barred on November 1, the public will no longer be allowed to enter the sites. Any person entering the closed state parks after November 1 could be arrested and charged with trespassing.
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