Illinois Mixed Bag: Shabonna Lake Campground closing Nov. 1 – Outdoor News
Shabonna, Ill. — The campground at Shabbona Lake State Park will be closed beginning Nov. 1 to accommodate replacement of vault toilets at the site, DNR announced in September. The campground is expected to be closed through April 30.
The work is part of an ongoing effort by DNR to improve Illinois state parks, the agency said. Work will begin in the day-use area of the park and move to the campground in November. The campground will be closed to ensure the safety of the public while work crews remove the old units and replace them with new ones.
Shabbona Lake State Park is at 1,550-acre park in Dekalb County off U.S. 30. The site includes a 318.8-acre fishing lake, hiking trails, and a restaurant with boat rental and a bait and tackle facility. Online camping reservations will be available for 2025 beginning May 1. For more information about the closure, call the park at 815-824-2106.
MORE COVERAGE FROM ILLINOIS OUTDOOR NEWS:
Illinois deer harvest report released, crossbow kill freezes for first time
Preventing largemouth bass cannibalism is focus of Southern Illinois University study
Researchers follow wood ducks on Illinois River to better understand fall patterns
“Deer Nerd” Van Deelen Honored by TWS
Madison, Wisc. — Timothy Van Deelen, a former Illinois Natural History Survey scientist and self-proclaimed “deer nerd” who has also worked to manage wildlife in Michigan and Wisconsin, received The Wildlife Society’s Jim McDonough Award for his many contributions to the wildlife profession.
Van Deelen, who worked in Illinois from 1995 to 2001, has for more than 25 years led research on wildlife ecology, population dynamics, harvest management and survey methods for multiple species, including deer, wolves, and bears. His research has primarily been focused in the Midwest, but he has worked throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, and beyond. At INHS, his focus was primarily on deer ecology and management. He left INHS in 2001 to work for the Wisconsin DNR, where he became a leader in the state’s efforts to manage chronic wasting disease. Van Deelen has authored and co-authored around 105 peer-reviewed journal publications, six book chapters, 25 other publications on wildlife ecology, and co-edited the book, “Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States.”
Van Deelen has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 19 years. In 2016, he was promoted to full professor within the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. A TWS member since the early 1990s, Van Deelen has been active in the Wisconsin and Illinois chapters, as well as the international organization.
Blue Catfish had silver carp stuck in throat
Springfield, Mo. — Wildlife officials in Missouri hunting for an invasive species were surprised recently when a catfish they pulled from a Missouri river had just the creature they were looking for trapped in its throat. In mid-September, officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation set out along the Lamine River in search of silver carp.
While in the midst of an “invasive carp removal effort,” a blue catfish was caught – seemingly in a classic case of wrong place, wrong time – and officials noticed something unusual. In a video shared on social media by the department, something can be seen at the back of the catfish’s throat. It’s unclear what it is at first, but the camera peers deeper and reveals a tail and fin sticking up from the gullet, a fish trapped partway between freedom and doom. And it’s not just any fish – officials discovered it was a silver carp.
“Fisheries staff say blue cats eating silver carp this size is uncommon as they typically go for smaller meals. But they are opportunistic feeders,” MDC officials said.
The Lamine River is a tributary of the Missouri River, an off-shoot snaking roughly 64 miles through central Missouri.
Kentucky Increases Its Monitoring of CWD
Paducah, Ken. — The Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources is urging hunters in that state to get animals tested for chronic wasting disease. In December 2023, Kentucky became the newest Illinois neighbor to have a confirmed case of CWD when a Ballard County deer tested positive.
Since then, Kentucky has added McCracken and Carlisle counties to its eight-county CWD surveillance zone. The zone includes Calloway, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, and Marshall Counties as well.
To continue tracking cases of CWD, the department is going for a “hunter-first” approach, meaning samples that are brought in by hunters, as well as going out and getting samples from roadkill.
Source: https://www.outdoornews.com/2024/10/01/illinois-mixed-bag-shabonna-lake-campground-closing-nov-1/
