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Spreading the word…once again asking for your help in saving State Parks in Illinois.  As you may remember there are 11 State parks and 13 Historic Sites that are slated for closure come November.   I received this email from the Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn this morning.  I’ll just cut & paste the letter here.  Also after signing the petition and calling the governor’s office–PLEASE, I implore you to cut & paste this letter and spread the word!!

Dear State Parks advocates:
We would like to provide this update to you on the “Save Our State Parks” campaign, launched by Lt. Governor Pat Quinn.  If this is your first notification from us, we would like to thank you for signing the “Save Our State Parks” petition.

The current status is that our state parks are still in danger of being closed.

On Tuesday, Governor Blagojevich signed Senate Bill 790 into law, sweeping dedicated funds into a special budget restoration fund.  Although we disagree with some of the funds that were swept and the consequences of the sweeps, this is still only half of the action needed to restore funding to DNR and keep the parks open.

The action that is needed is for the Governor to sign Senate Bill 1103, and authorize spending to keep state parks open.  Without the Governor’s signature, state parks and historic sites will close at the end of November and state workers will be laid off.  We ask that you continue your citizen action and send a loud and clear message to Governor Blagojevich that it is not acceptable to close 11 state parks and 13 historic sites.
 

What can you do next?  Two things:
Please call the Governor’s Office and let him know that you want to keep these parks open!
Chicago Office:  312.814.2121
Capitol Office:  217.782.6830

2.      Tell your friends to sign the “SaveOurStateParks. org” petition!
We are currently at 23,000 signatures so far on the petition drive, and we would like to double that number by the end of the month.  Please forward this email and ask your friends to sign the petition.  This will make even a stronger statement that our parks are important to our citizens, our health and our economy.  
www.SaveOurStatePar ks.org

Background:  Lt. Governor Pat Quinn has launched the “Save Our State Parks” online petition drive to prevent Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich from permanently closing 11 Illinois state parks and laying off 39 employees.
On August 28, Gov. Blagojevich announced the closure of 11 state parks as part of his effort to slash $ 14 mil lion from the budget of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
State parks which will be closed on November 30 include: Castle Rock State Park and Lowden State Park in Oregon; Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park in Sheffield; Illini State Park in Marseilles; Channahon Parkway State Park in Morris; Hidden Springs State Forest in Strasburg; Kickapoo State Park in Oakwood; Moraine State Park in Leroy; Weldon Springs State Park in Clinton; and Wolf Creek State Park in Windsor.

In the most recent year, there were more than 44 million visitors to Illinois state parks and recreation areas. Wildlife watching, hunting, and fishing contribute $2.4 billion to the Illinois economy each year, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Survey.

Marc Miller, Senior Policy Advisor
Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn
Room 414, Stratton Building
Springfield, Illinois 62706-4700
Direct Phone Line: 217-557-5625
Stratton Office Main Line: 217-782-3734
Fax: 217-782-9879 -or- 217-782-9728
E-mail: Marc.Miller@ illinois. gov
www.StandingUpforIl linois.org (main webpage)
www.CleanWaterIllin ois.org (water webpage