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State makes huge land purchase next to Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks

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Illinois

* 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
Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 10:53 am

Comments

Both these parks are beautiful anytime of the year, and personally Matthiessen Park is better than it’s big brother. I think it is an excellent idea to connect both parks. I was last there two years ago and couldn’t believe how dilapidated the current trials and infrastructure was, I’m sure it has not improved.
I hope with a new governor, things will change.

Comment by Almost the weekend Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:04 am
Great news.

Not to be a downer, but doesn’t 3.2 million visitors sound high, like a Chicago sports victory rally estimate?

Here are national park figures:

https://www.budgettravel.com/article/most-popular-national-parks

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:07 am
I do understand some of the concerns, but this really seems like a fantastic acquisition with relatively minor downside.

Comment by Sox Fan Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:07 am
Agree wholeheartedly with Almost. Matthiessen really is an underrated gem. Perhaps this purchase would allow DNR to capture more from the increased stress on Starved Rock.

Comment by Dirty Red Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:09 am
The map looks like raspberry jam. “There’s only one man who would dare give me the raspberry– Lone Star!”

Seriously, it is an exciting acquisition. The park is a fantastic place to visit and this is going to add to it.

Comment by The Ford Lawyer Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:11 am
Last minute legacy building Governor?

Seriously, even if the State can’t afford to develop the site right now, just owning it is a positive move.

Comment by RNUG Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:13 am
Nice Rauner payout to big coal.

Comment by El Conquistador Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:14 am
—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.—

They don’t call him gift for nuthin’🤠

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:16 am
Good on the Administration for gobbling up land for the parks and saving these areas.

Great upside. Glad to see this happening.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:18 am
Wow Rauner did something right and for my neck of the woods….. still not voting for him

Comment by Gohawks123 Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:24 am
Agreeing with many comments here. Great move by this Administration. The cost per acre for reclaimed mining property may seem high but consider the profits that have been made by the mining company over the past 100 years.

I am no fan of mining companies, but if the the site was properly reclaimed it cost them plenty to comply and this becomes an asset that will benefit future generations.

That being said, I am concerned about the future plans and whether IDNR actually has plans and the money for further development of this property. I have seen a significant reduction in maintenance and continued deterioration of IDNR downstate properties. Will the money be available to properly improve and maintain all our State Parks?

Comment by illini Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:30 am
Awesome. Have OSLAD grants been restored yet?

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:30 am
47th — yes, OSLAD grants have received some funding

To the post itself — smart move, grab this while it’s available, doesn’t have to be developed immediately

Comment by Flapdoodle Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:34 am
El Con, the only “coal mine” in the area since the 1930s is the 351 Coal Mine tavern in Jonesville. Some of those 4 million visitors are probably double counts who visit both parks on the same trip. Starved Rock is a victim of its own success, with many capacity crowds resulting in temporary closings to new visitors. An admission charge wouldn’t be out of line to maintain the park in the condition it deserves.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:40 am
They could open it out for deer and turkey hunting almost immediately

Comment by Taxman Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:43 am
The attendance numbers for all parks can be found on DNR’s website. According the report from 2016. Starved Rock had 2,762,710 visitors for calendar year 2016 and Matthiessen was 503,192 visitors.

And OSLAD is open. https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/news/Pages/IDNR-Accepting-Applications-for-OSLAD-and-LWCF-Grant-Programs.aspx

Comment by Mad Brown Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:45 am
I can believe Starved Rock draws nearly as many as Glacier, Starved Rock being 100 miles away from 10 million people or so, and Glacier being one of the most remote and difficult to access parks in the NPS. It was practically deserted the last time I was there except for all the elk roaming around.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 11:56 am
Allow visitors to buy a $10 annual permit to visit the park on an annual basis. This would generate over $27 million per year.

Comment by Olmsted Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 12:18 pm
This area is our family’s most frequent getaway and a relative oversaw one of the parks years ago. I have to believe the count included all visitors to all three state parks: Matthiessen, Starved Rock and Buffalo Rock.

Some of this land is pristine, but some it is is unusable as old quarry sites. I hope there are not environmental concerns but the State has to be doing its due diligence? I endorse the move however, and I think they should charge a reasonable admission fee to support the staff that they are lacking.

Comment by Jake From Elwood Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 12:29 pm
Always control the land

Great move

Comment by Cannon649 Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 12:35 pm
It is with great felicity that we see the State’s acquisition of the grounds. The statutory pronouncements including the environmental review and Attorney General acceptance of the pronouncement were obtained prior to receiving the object or our desire.

Comment by jane austen Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 1:12 pm
==expressed skepticism as to when, if ever, the land would be made available to the public==

Good. It’s nature. Leave it alone.

That would be at least one safe place for bobcats.

Comment by Anon Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 3:38 pm
Great move for a state starved for park land. Yes, pun intended, it’s Friday.

Comment by Independent Friday, Oct 26, 18 @ 4:26 pm