Open Spaces In the News

Besides being amazing and unique Quad-Cities assets, what do the beautifully refurbished Prospect Park and the ongoing Sylvan Slough Nature Park, whose aim is to turn riverfront blight into beauty, have in common?

Both benefit from critical open space programs provided by Illinois. And those programs are on the crowded negotiating table as lawmakers wrangle over a state budget. Environmentalists and recreational and wildlife enthusiasts are hoping that some key vehicles -- the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development fund, the Natural Areas Acquisition Fund and the proposed iSPACE, short for Illinois Special Places Acquisition, Conservation and Enhancement Program -- will be part of any deal lawmakers approve before they quit Springfield.

Given the financial problems facing Illinois, it might seem a bad time to be worrying about funds for increasing the amount of recreational land and open spaces. But as these two key local projects and others show, major conservation land acquisition programs are essential components for quality of life and must be part of any long-term capital spending program.

And make no mistake. An ambitious capital program is critical for more than just parks and the environment. First there's the economic boost from the jobs created through public works projects. And then there are the ongoing immense benefits from what is built. Take, for example, the long-planned construction of the Western Illinois University Quad-Cities riverfront campus and a new school in Silvis. Both are projects critical to the Quad-Cities future, particularly WIU-QC. A major state university's presence here would have a dramatic impact for decades to come.

As the folks with Partners for Illinois Wildlife recently noted, open lands are also critical because of things like clean water, species diversity, recreation, hunting and healthy lifestyles. They also create jobs. Fishing, hunting and wildlife associated activities alone result in $4.2 billion in economic activity each year in Illinois.

Despite that, our lands have been sadly neglected. As a result, activists like Max Muller of Environment Illinois, told us Illinois ranks third among all states in open lands spending and last among Midwestern states. It has lost more than 90 percent of its wetlands and 99.99 percent of its prairies -- a dismal development for the Prairie State. Nearly 450 threatened and endangered species live within our boundaries as habitats disappear.

In order to combat that, Illinois has in place programs like OSLAD, which is supposed to be funded through millions of dollars in real estate transfer taxes each year. But, like the state's pension funds, that money is raided for other uses. That's flat-out wrong. Money collected for that purpose should be used for that purpose, particularly when it is so critically important to our environmental health. Whatever budget deal they work out, we urge legislative leaders to fully fund OSLAD and NAAF.

As for iSPACE, it is an idea whose time has come. The capital budget would replace the Open Lands Trust (which helped fund the Prospect Park renovation) was created in 1999, but ran out of money four years ago and has never been renewed. ISPACE would invest $753 million to establish new parks, provide matching dollars for more recreational opportunity, expand hunting opportunities, and offer grants for habitat restoration and land management.

"Bottom line," Mr. Muller says, "Illinois's state open spaces programs have had significant positive impact in the Moline and Rock Island areas, and could have even more if we fully fund them and include iSPACE in the capital budget. But remember, with less than half of OSLAD/NAAF earmarked funds typically allocated and spent for open spaces each year, MANY worthwhile proposals in the state are rejected and conservation opportunities are missed."

Both the Illinois House and Senate have passed resolutions calling on the governor to forward a capital budget containing iSPACE. We join the call to preserve Illinois land for IIlinois' present and her future. Legislative leaders and Gov. Rod Blagojevich should approve a capital budget that includes not only key bricks and mortar projects like WIU-QC, but one that protects for the long-term the health and beauty of our state.