Illinois Mixed Bag: Bill proposes Illinois state mushroom – Outdoor News
Springfield — Illinois has a state fish, state tree, state flower, state insect and even a state prairie grass, yet no state mushroom. But after being contacted by a fifth-grade teacher at Prairie School of DuPage, State Sen. Seth Lewis, R-Bartlett, was inspired to change that.
Senate Bill 3514 “Provides that the mushroom calvatia gigantea, commonly known as the “giant puffball,” is designated the official state mushroom of Illinois.” The giant puffball It can grow up to 20 inches wide and can contain more than 7 trillion spores.
SB 3514 passed the Senate unanimously on April 10 and was sent to the House, where it was ut in front of the Rules Committee on April 11.
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Channel Catfish Spawning Boxes Placed
Findlay, Ill. — High schools surrounding Lake Shelbyville recently participated in the construction and placement of over 80 channel catfish spawning boxes.
The boxes help channel cats during the spawning season and help boost production of the popular sport fish.
Materials for the boxes were purchased by the DNR, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance. High schools were given materials along with detailed instructions for construction. DNR said the wooden boxes provide much needed habitat for channel catfish to spawn and protect their young, which in turn should increase their natural recruitment.
Indiana Confirms First Case of CWD in Deer
Indianapolis, Ind. — Indiana’s DNR confirmed the first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state. The disease was found in a male deer harvested in LaGrange County, Indiana, by a hunter and confirmed positive by two separate tests.
CWD has now been found in wild deer across 33 states, including all of Indiana’s neighboring states.
According to Indiana DNR deer biologist Joe Caudell, finding CWD in that area of the state was likely — given the county borders a region of Michigan where CWD was found.
“CWD has been in our region for many years with positive cases in all of our surrounding states,” Caudell said. “The public can help by reporting sightings of sick or dead deer to the DNR, as well as submitting harvested deer for testing during deer hunting season. Through increased awareness and testing, we can work to monitor CWD within Indiana’s deer population.”
Rock Cut State Park Construction Completed
Loves Park, Ill.. — A major construction project that kept a significant portion of Rock Cut State Park closed for more than a year is now complete. The project included construction of a new children’s fishing pond on the east end of the more than 3,000- acre park. When construction began in February 2023, it closed the park from the Bay View picnic area to the campground road, leaving nearly half the facility off-limits to cars, hikers, and bicyclists.
Construction also closed the bridge over Interstate 90 to Olson Beach for safety purposes.
The cost of the project was $4.5 million and was overseen by DNR in coordination with the Illinois Department of Transportation. The park is open year-round and sees approximately 1.2 million visitors every year.
Starved Rock Name Change Not Endorsed
Ottawa, Ill. — The possibility of renaming Starved Rock State Park has some officials befuddled and concerned about the effect such a move would have on the region’s tourism that benefits the Illinois site.
Shaw Local News Network reported earlier this month that a meeting took place during which “it was suggested Starved Rock could be renamed on the same grounds that have led sports teams to abandon mascots that are offensive to Native Americans.” Shaw reached out to DNR, which issued a statement acknowledging that “park names could be reconsidered, including Starved Rock.”
State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, told Shaw that she was not aware of the possibility of a name change. Rezin pointed out that Starved Rock has many urgent infrastructure needs, “and this is what they decide to work on?”
Field Trip Grant Program Funding 107 Trips
Washington — More than 6,600 students will visit Illinois state parks, natural areas, museums, and other natural resources sites this year to learn about nature and conservation thanks to funding through the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant Program administered by DNR and the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF).
More than $99,600 in donated funds for 107 field trip grants were awarded for 2024. The grant recipients represent 30 Illinois counties.
“This program allows students to visit areas throughout Illinois to see firsthand what they’ve been learning about the great outdoors in the classroom,” said DNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie.
Funding for the 2024 grants was made possible by private donations from the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation of Skokie and the D.F. and M.T. Grohne Family Foundation of Wilmington. The donations and grant funding are coordinated by the ICF. The competitive grant program allows Illinois teachers to apply for funds to take students on a field trip to study Illinois’ natural resources.
Learning activities must directly relate to the school’s curriculum. Funding covers expenses such as transportation and substitute teachers. The annual application deadline is Jan. 31.
Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2024/04/16/illinois-mixed-bag-bill-proposes-illinois-state-mushroom/
