To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here. State makes huge land purchase next to Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks Friday, Oct 26, 2018 * This could be really good news for people who love to visit the Starved Rock area… Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks are two of the most popular parks not only in the state of Illinois, but also in the entire United States. 3.2 million visitors passed through the parks in 2017, meaning that if they were national parks they would be in the ten most visited parks in the country, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The parks combine to take up about 4600 acres according the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Today, they grew by about 50 percent. Governor Bruce Rauner was at Starved Rock to announce the purchase of 2629 acres. The project cost Illinois $11 Million that comes from the Open Land Trust, which can only be used for purchases of land like this one. The land in LaSalle County was purchased in order to “Preserve natural resources and expand recreation opportunities, tourism and economic development,” said Rauner. The Vermillion River runs through the newly acquired parcel of land, including the only naturally occurring white water rapids in Illinois, according to the IDNR. * Acquired land is in purple… * The law requires that the quarries had to be remediated before selling to the state… Lone Star Industries — along with its predecessor companies — has owned much of the property since the early 1900s. The land originally was mined for coal. It also has been mined for limestone and used as a site for cement manufacturing. Both Rauner and Rosenthal said, thanks to Lone Star’s mined land reclamation, the existing forested areas, lakes and a stretch of the scenic Vermilion River is ideally suited for development of outdoor recreational uses. * There are some concerns, however. DNR has been hollowed out over the years, starting with Rod Blagojevich… A few park supporters, who were locked out of the press conference but then entered when the presentation was concluded, expressed skepticism as to when, if ever, the land would be made available to the public. Peggy Garner of rural Peru complained that the financially-distressed state cannot properly maintain the parks’ current holdings (a combined 4,800 acres), much less an acquisition nearly the size of Starved Rock itself. “I can’t see doing it (the expansion) when you can’t take care of it now,” Garner said. Doug Gift, a retired attorney and Utica planning commissioner, said he wants the state to make an up-front financial commitment to ensure the expanded parks are properly cared for. “I hope this indicates an increase in budget and personnel as it expands,” Gift said. - Posted by Rich Miller

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