Save Our State Parks.com

[Jeff Janda]

9.17.2008




SUBJECT:  Save Our State Parks.Com


Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn launches an online petition drive to prevent Gov. Blagojevich from closing 11 Illinois state parks on November 30



On August 28, Gov. Blagojevich announced the closure of 11 state parks as part of his effort to slash $14 million 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.



Illinois citizens can voice their support for saving all our state parks by visiting  SaveOurStateParks.org and sending a loud and clear message to Gov. Blagojevich that closing any of our state parks is not acceptable to the families and children of Illinois.



"All of us have a duty to maintain and protect our state parks for the next generation,"

Lt. Governor Quinn said in a press conference on September 17, 2008. "We must leave no child inside."



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.



Log on to SaveOurStateParks.org to tell Gov. Blagojevich to keep all our state parks open!