Prison Guards Flex Their Muscle

From State Senator Tom Bennett:

Legislators Critical of Two Correctional Facilities Closing

The Governor recently announced his plan to close and rebuild

  • Stateville Correctional Center in Will County and
  • Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln,

leaving many unanswered questions about what will happen to the current employees, inmates, and the local communities.

Stateville Correction Center

In February, the Governor proposed $900 million for maintenance and modernization of Department of Corrections facilities within his proposed FY25 budget. In the joint prison closure announcement from the Governor and the Illinois Department of Corrections, it became clear that the money was meant to be used to demolish and rebuild Logan and Stateville.

Currently, the Governor is planning to rebuild Stateville at the same location as the current facility, but his administration has released no details or commitments on the location of the new Logan Correctional Center.

Senator Bennett has expressed concerns about what would happen to the more than 500 direct jobs, hundreds more indirect jobs, and economic benefits that Logan Correctional Center provides.

While they recognized a need for repairs, they rightly pointed out that the facilities’ current state of disrepair exists because of administrative neglect and misplaced priorities.

Meanwhile, the local union representing the two facilities came out against the plan citing fears that even temporary closures of the centers would “disrupt and potentially destabilize the prison system, while bringing upheaval to the lives of affected employees and individuals in custody.”

Senator Bennett is working on a resolution for the Pontiac Correctional Facility to help avoid a shutdown there.

In accordance with the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability process, construction of new facilities will not commence until all requirements of the State Facilities Closure Act are met.

More information about that process, including a timeline, can be found here.

= = = = =

Downstate legislators are receptive to the wishes the union local representing prison guards at local prisons.

Such pressure can be successful as the refusal of the AFSCME local at the Menard maximum security prison around the year 2,000 shows.

Menard is a prison where men get raped in the shower, where a Crystal Laker was held as a sex slave and sold for cigaretts many times a day.

It deserves to be closed.

So, the State built a new maximum security prison in Thomson. That’s located in the Quad Cities area.

While Menard guards could have transferred there, they did not want to.

The result was Thomspon sat empty until, finally, the Federal government took it off our hands.

When I was running for Governor as a Libertarian, I suggested offering the prison to the Feds for illegal aliens.

Sounded like a good idea to me.

I received such a severe blowback from a faction of the Illinois Libertarian Party that I had to take the press release down from our website.

I received intellectual satisfaction when both the Chairman of the state party and my campaign manager/largest contributor agreed that one couldn’t have a country without borders.

McHenry County Jail Passes State Inspection

From the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department:

Meets Illinois Department of Corrections Standards

To be compliant with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), the McHenry County Jail undergoes an annual review of the health and safety standards of the jail.

WGN sent a crew to the McHenry County Jail.

Below is a report from IDOC on the standards and improvements made in the county jail for 2024.

We applaud the hard work of our Corrections Bureau for ensuring the McHenry County Jail meets or exceeds IDOC standards and extend our gratitude to IDOC for their time and expertise.

McHENRY COUNTY JAIL 2024 MONITORING REPORT

Criminal Justice Specialist Sara Johnson conducted compliance monitoring at the McHenry County Jail on February 15, 2024. Entrance and exit interviews were conducted with staff.

IMPROVEMENTS SINCE LAST INSPECTION

  1. Purchased new mattresses and clothing. 
  2. Hired additional staff.

NONCOMPLIANCES WITH ILLINOIS COUNTY JAIL STANDARDS

None 

RECOMMENDATIONS

None

UPDATE: PRISONER REVEIW BOARD SHAKE-UP, Parole for Domestic Violence Victims To Change

From JB Pritzker:

UPDATE:

Governor Pritzker Announces Resignation of Prisoner Review Board Chair Donald Shelton

Chicago—Governor JB Pritzker today announced the resignation of Prisoner Review Board (PRB) chair Donald Shelton. Shelton had served on the PRB since September of 2012, joining the board after a lengthy career with the Champaign Police Department.

“Donald Shelton served the state of Illinois in his role with the PRB for over a decade, providing a model of dedication to public service,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “During his time with the Champaign Police Department and with the PRB he worked diligently to keep Illinoisans safe and uphold our justice system, and I thank him for his service.”

The PRB is an independent, [EMPHASIS ADDED] bipartisan body comprised of members appointed by the Governor.

The Governor will be working closely with the General Assembly to address vacancies on the PRB and will be conducting a thorough search for qualified candidates over the coming weeks.

Governor Pritzker Announces Resignation of Prisoner Review Board Member LeAnn Miller

Chicago—Governor JB Pritzker today announced the resignation of Prisoner Review Board (PRB) member LeAnn Miller. Miller conducted the recent Crosetti Brand hearing and prepared a draft order provided to a panel of two additional members for concurrence, as per PRB procedure.

“The Prisoner Review Board must be able to operate independently as they review enormously difficult cases, but I believe LeAnn Miller has made the correct decision in stepping down from her role.” said Governor JB Pritzker.

“It is clear that evidence in this case was not given the careful consideration that victims of domestic violence deserve and I am committed to ensuring additional safeguards and training are in place to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. My thoughts are with Laterria Smith as she recovers and with the entire family of Jayden Perkins as we mourn this tragic loss—may his memory be a blessing.”

Governor Pritzker has asked the PRB to engage experts and advocates to design and implement expanded training for PRB members related to handling domestic violence cases. The Governor has also directed the PRB and Illinois Department of Corrections to review the current rules and procedures for receiving information related to cases involving domestic violence to determine whether changes are necessary.

As the administration continues to review the facts in this case, it may pursue any broader statutory or policy changes needed to strengthen PRB’s review of similar cases moving forward.

The PRB is an independent, bipartisan body comprised of members appointed by the Governor. Governor Pritzker will announce appointments to fill current PRB vacancies following a thorough search.

= = = = =

What’s this all about?

The Chicago Tribune reports:

LeAnn Miller resigned from the 13-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board after deciding the parolee, 37-year-old Crosetti Brand, should not go back to prison after he was accused of contacting his former girlfriend, the boy’s mother, Laterria Smith, when he was paroled in October in another domestic violence case.

When the board decided earlier this month against keeping Brand in prison for that separate case, authorities say he went to Smith’s Chicago residence on March 13 and fatally stabbed her son, 11-year-old Jayden Perkins. Smith was stabbed during the attack but survived.

Miller is reported to be a Republican.

Johnsburg Village President Ed Hettermann on Pistakee Yacht Club

From Johnsburg Village President Edwin P. Hettermann:

Letter from Village President Hettermann – Pistakee Yacht Club

Dear Johnsburg Residents and Business Owners,

I am writing to clear up some misinformation circulating regarding the lawsuit initiated against the Village by the Pistakee Yacht Club.

First and foremost, the Village is not trying to shut down the Pistakee Yacht Club and Community Sailing School.

That statement is false and several members of the Yacht Club and Sailing School have publicly acknowledged that.

The Village has always and continues to be supportive of both organizations.

Last Spring, the Village received multiple complaints regarding the improper use and condition of a vacant parcel owned by the Pistakee Yacht Club.

Through those complaints, it came to the Village’s attention that the Yacht Club was collecting fees for the open storage of boats, a use that is not authorized on the property.

Pistakee Yacht Club area.

In following up on the complaints, it was noted that several of the boats were dilapidated and that portions of the property had become overgrown with weeds and grass due to junk and debris that were also accumulating on the property.

The Village notified the Yacht Club of the violations and over the past year has made extensive attempts in good faith to work with the Yacht Club to clean up the property and amicably resolve the matter. 

Although Club representatives acknowledge that junk and inoperable boats were being stored on the property and have made efforts to clean up the property, they maintain that the Club is allowed to charge fees for unlimited open boat storage on the property, based upon a variance it sought in 1970 through McHenry County.

In turn, they chose to pursue litigation against the Village regarding the matter.

The Village reviewed the documents related to the matter and disagrees with the Club’s position.

Upon that review, it was discovered that notice for the public hearing never referenced boat storage of any kind and violated people’s due process.

At this past Thursday’s Board meeting, the Village took action to adopt an updated zoning map, an activity that must be conducted each year in March.

In light of discovering that notice was not published for boat storage, the Board approved the zoning map without a variance designation for the vacant lot.

To do so otherwise would be endorsing the unfairness and lack of due process that occurred when the Club sought its so-called variance. 

The Village has a responsibility to enforce ordinances and protect all of its residents from being adversely impacted by the misuse of property.

We have repeatedly expressed our willingness to work with the Yacht Club.

This past Friday I again reached out to the Yacht Club’s commodore requesting a meeting in an effort to reach an amicable resolution to the matter.

I am still awaiting a response.

We realize what both the Pistakee Yacht Club and Community Sailing School bring to our community and also wish to preserve their heritage and future.

I again ask that as we work towards resolution, people are treated decently and with dignity.

Further circulation of misinformation, and the use of intimidation and other tactics being pursued, only create a further divide on this matter.

UPDATE: Shots Fired in Road Rage on Cary-Algonquin Road, SUSPECT IN CUSTORY

From the Cary Police:

UPDATE:

“We have a suspect identified. 

“No charges have been filed. 

“This remains an active investigation.”

Shots Fired Investigation

On Saturday March 23, 2024 at approximately 11 p.m. Cary Police Officers were disptched to an incident
during which a firearm was discharged at a vehicle and its occupants from a second vehicle.

Preliminary information received from the complinanant indicated they were driving in their vehicle near the intersection of W. Main St. and Cary-Algonquin Road when a vehicle began driving erratically close to their vehicle.

Cary-Algonquin Road and Harper Avenue, Cary.

Both vehicles began driving southbound on Cary-Algonquin Road.

There was a brief verbal exchange between the occupants of the vehicles, and at one point the vehicles made contact, causing the offending vehicle to drive off the roadway and come to rest near the intersection of Cary-Algonquin Rd. and Harper Ave.

An occupant of the offending vehicle fired at least one round from a handgun in the direction of the other involved vehicle.

An expended shell casing was recovered in the roadway.

It is alleged as many as five rounds were fired during the incident.

No injuries were reported related to the incident.

According to the complainant, four male occupants exited the offending vehicle and fled the area on foot.

An extensive search for the suspects was conducted with assistance from the Lake and McHenry County Sheriff’s Departments, as well as the Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills, and McHenry Police Departments.

Police K9 units and drones were used in the search.

During the search, preliminary information identified a possible suspect in the incident.

The search was concluded, the scene was processed, and officers continued investigating the possibility of this individual’s involvement in the incident.

Currently, this matter is being actively investigated based on information that has been discovered from the Department’s ongoing efforts.

At the present time, no individuals are in custody, and this incident remains under investigation by the Cary Police Department.

There is no evidence that there is a continued threat to the general public.

Anyone with information, including but not limited to doorbell or security video footage in the area west of Cary-Algonquin Road., north of Klasen Rd., east of Route 31, and south of U.S. Route 14 during the time of this incident are asked to contact the Cary Police Department’s Investigations Section at (847) 639-2341.

No Competition for County Board Appointments to Fire Protection Districts

From the agenda of the Law and Justice Committee’s March 26th meeting, one can see that the number of applicants for Fire Protection District Boards are equal to the number of vacancies:

8:30 – Pat Hughes – Fox River Grove Fire Protection District

8:40 – Kurt Rodewald – McHenry Township Fire Protection Districts

8:50 – Allen Miller – McHenry Township Fire Protection District

9:00 – Amy Crane – Harvard Fire Protection District

9:10 – Robert Lamz – Harvard Fire Protection District

9:20 – Joshua Kelnhofer – Harvard Fire Protection District

9:30 – Kevin Sarnwick – Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection District

Will County Mayor and Voters Seek Township Consolidation

From Wonder Lake’s Bob Anderson:

Advisory Referendum to Consolidate Township with Municipality Passes

Illinois is a national leader of the number of 8,529 units of local government, causing extreme financial hardships on residents, when forty six states function with less than 2,500 units. 

Mayor of Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike, a champion of government consolidation, a champion of the people:

“It’s time to question, do we need the extra layer of a township government?  

Thank you Mayor Neitzke-Troike for the March 19, 2024 Homer Township non-binding referendum to dissolve Homer Township, a first step to eliminate layers of government and their duplicative services.

The referendum successfully passed and speaks volumes of, get rid of taxing bodies we don’t need!

Of course, the referendum received push-back from the keepers of outdated townships. 

Homer Township Supervisor Steve Balich said the township provides several services to its residents. “The township has

  • a dog park,
  • has a medical supply cabinet
  • to loan walkers,
  • shower chairs,
  • crutches,
  • plans events and
  • a pet fair.”

Really?

Do we need a taxing government for this?

No! Illinois  has 1,430 townships, all wasting taxpayer money.

The city of Chicago abolished their nine township governments in 1902.

Evanston township was abolished in 2013 saving over $800,000 a year.

Illinois has seventeen counties that do not have township government or their tax waste.                                                                                                                                                     

Note: Township government was established in the 1850s prior to 1,300 Illinois city and village governments. 

General Assembly members, please take note.

Be a champion like Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike. Illinoisans are looking for champions of government consolidation, which will eliminate duplication of services, increase efficiencies, and most of all, save taxpayer money. 

Reick Receives More Primary Votes Than Mahady

The only State Representative district wholly in McHenry County is Steve Reick’s 63rd.

There was no other contest within its boundaries but the referendum to impose a quarter of one percent sales tax for the 708 Mental Health Board.

Take a look at the primary votes for each party:

Mary Mahady 2024 primary votes, almost final.
Steve Reick State Rep. primary votes, almost final results.

Stacking the primary votes shows the following:

  • Steve Reick – 6,072
  • Mary Mahady – 5,418

County Board To Consider Imposition of Quarter of One Percent Sales Tax for the 708 Mental Health Board at Tuesday Meeting

From the McHenry County Board:

Agenda Item #13.a –  Ordinance Imposing a Special Retailers’ Occupation Tax Of One-Quarter (1/4) Percent For Mental Health Pursuant to the Authority Granted in Chapter 55, Act 5, Section 5-1006.5 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes and Discontinuing the .1 Percent Annual Tax Levy for Mental Health Facilities and Services Previously Imposed Pursuant to Chapter 405, Act 20, Section 5 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes 

Culture Surging East from California

From Woodstock’s Rich Rostron, re-published from his “The Response” with permission:

LA susceptibility epidemic problem for all Americans today

Sometimes a story about one thing can say a lot about something else.

I think that’s the case with the story in FOX News today about the daughter of ‘Dynasty’ actress Catherine Oxenberg who survived and escaped from the NXIVM sex cult.

India Oxenberg, the daughter, “detailed how she was lured in and lulled into a sense of security in a groundbreaking new interview” (from March 23 FOX article by Christina Coulter).

In its own right, this is a horrifying story.

But I think it’s much bigger than that, and far, far more terrifying.

As India Oxenberg explained in the article, “The idea of looking for alternative education was not that unusual to me. I also come from Los Angeles, where we’re kind of, like, saturated by what’s, like, new and cool and whatnot and slightly less traditional … So I think that my filter for those things might have been a little bit more open.”

What’s terrifying about this is that the California attitude she’s talking about, what the rest of America used to snicker at, has become the cultural norm from coast to coast.

That kind of susceptibility she spoke of is viral coast-to-coast.

Midwestern values would never have accepted the idea of children having the support of their schools to secretly change their gender in the past. The same is true of men calling themselves women and competing in women’s sports. And there’s no way we would have stood for the LGBTQ+ community going from a demand for tolerance to a demand for agreement and embrasure.

Democrats used to stand against open borders.

Today, they champion open borders and do so while diminishing the idea that citizens actually have unique rights.

Healthy individuals used to refer to California as “the land of fruits and nuts.”

Now, I’m liable to face “hate crime” charges for saying so.

The question to ask is “How did California infect the rest of the country?”

No doubt, the Internet and social media played a massive role in the spread of this social disease.

But it’s more than that.

What we used to call “education” is now indoctrination.

Teachers seem to feel that their job is to shape the way children think rather than educate them on how to succeed in a free society.

That’s absolutely true of the teachers unions.

From the indoctrinators, we learned that everyone deserves a trophy.

We learned that America is a bad country that is deserving of condemnation.

Americans stole the land from the Indians (oops, indigenous peoples or whatever the latest PC terminology requires), enslaved blacks and other minorities while abusing women.

Never mind that those who condemn America rely on technology developed by Western Civilization to communicate such ideas, or that their condemnation comes from concepts developed and implemented by America.

The reality is that they wouldn’t have cell phones, cars, washers and dryers, lights, televisions, computers, modern medicine, mass distribution of foodstuffs, or mass production of clothing so they don’t have to make their own. The truth is, they wouldn’t have indoor plumbing if not for Western civilization. They wouldn’t even have toilet paper to wipe their butts.

On the other hand, let’s suppose that modernity sprang from the soil of Africa, Asia, India or even the Americas prior to Western Exploration. Let’s suppose that the Industrial Age started in Asia, or the Age of Exploration started in Africa. Would either of those cultures have done a better job?

Would they have created a society without slavery, prejudices or any of the other ills the Left is so happy to point out today? But nobody seems to consider that today. They don’t contemplate that history could have turned out completely differently if Charlemagne had not stopped the Moors in the Pyrenes.

It’s not a stretch of the imagination to see the Moors sweeping through Europe. Almost 700 years later, Gutenberg would not have invented his press. Without his press, literacy would have languished among the elite. Concepts of liberty would have died on the vine. And the Christian concept that each individual is judged by God individually and has the right to pursue happiness would have been stillborn.

The same can be said of the Mongols whose Western conquest died in the heart of Europe.

In both cases, the future of Western Civilization hung on a slender thread.

These are all truths.

None suggests that America, or Western Civilization have done everything right.

But, in America, for instance, we have a system of government that accounts for human failings and provides a means of addressing and correcting mistakes.

With the susceptibility to nonsensical ideas, however, thinking stops short, far short, of these considerations.

We are left with a culture that accepts any idea the most radical elements dare to put forth.

With our current culture, it’s surprising more aren’t caught in the webs of cults such as NXIVM.

Then again, maybe they are caught in a cult that is much worse – the web of the Left’s socialist/Marxist ambitions.

And We Thought Mike Madigan Was a Dictator

From the Chicago Tribune:

From the article:

“It’s so stupid from a public relations point of view,” said Wheeler, an emeritus professor of journalism who is a past director of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois at Springfield [not to mention a long-time Springfield Bureau Chief for the Sun-Times].

“I just find it difficult to believe that a legislative leader would authorize one of his staff to tell his members not to talk to reporters.”

Wheeler also said the success of such an order was unlikely because independently elected lawmakers will not pay attention to it, although some interviewed by Gorner on Thursday declined to speak to him, saying they didn’t want to discuss anything campaign-related in the Capitol.

= = = = =

From the Sunday Tribune comes this backtracking:

Message of the Day – A Bag

A Friend of the Blog finds an uplifting (although somewhat surprising) message on the back of a bag of Brim’s Cheese Puffs:

It was a quote from the Bible.

Besides the incredients, this bag of cheeze puffsc contains, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5.

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

The quote comes from the first Johannine epistle known as 1 John – not to be confused with the Gospel of John. 

However, much like in the Gospel of John, the concept of God as light and casting out darkness is a major theme.

This particular translation appears to be from the New King James Version.

I was not expecting to see Bible quotes on a bag of Cheese Puffs.

Brim’s is based in Memphis, Tennessee. https://brimsnacks.com/everlasting-life/

They do not hide their Christian faith.

Everlasting Life | Brim’s Snack Foods Psychologists Have Long Known… …that every person has two great longings and inward needs. The first is to be loved, and the second is to love. But when pressures and heartaches come into our lives…brimsnacks.com

The bag in the picture is empty.

985 More Acres of Permanent Open Space in McHenry County, Largest Purchase in Chicagoland since 1996

Found on the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge website:

Celebrating 985 Acres Added to Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge

Tamarack Farms. Photo credit: The Conservsation Fund

It started as a dream. . . and we are very excited to announce the largest regional conservation acquisition in 28 years.

The Conservation Fund, Illinois Audubon Society, and Openlands announced today the partnership’s acquisition of Tamarack Farms in Richmond, Illinois for Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge (Hackmatack).

Straddling the Illinois-Wisconsin border, the federally designated Refuge protects vital habitat for the region’s biodiversity while offering extensive recreational opportunities for the 12 million residents of the greater Chicago, Rockford, and Milwaukee metropolitan areas.

Tamarack Farms. Photo credit: The Conservaton Fund.

At 985 acres, Tamarack Farms is the largest single property located within Hackmatack’s approved boundary, where the average property size is only 63 acres.

According to the Prairie State Conservation Coalition, which maintains a database of all conservation properties in Illinois, Tamarack Farms is the largest conservation acquisition in the Chicago region since the creation of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in 1996.

Additionally, Tamarack Farms will connect several existing conservation areas, creating a continuous 5,600-acre macrosite — the third largest in the six-county metro region behind Midewin and the Palos Preserves of the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

“Since the Tamarack Farms property was under threat of development, protecting it has been a top conservation priority for decades. Through patient negotiations over the course of years, this once-in-a-generation opportunity has been realized,” said Emy Brawley, Illinois State Director for The Conservation Fund.

“Thanks to our collaborative partnership, and steadfast leadership from advocates, local government, and our congressional delegations, Tamarack Farms will enable the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to dramatically expand public land access for residents and visitors of the region.”

Tamarak Farms outlined. Phtot credit: The Conservsation Fund.

Established in 2012 by then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge protects wildlife habitat within the Nippersink Creek watershed in McHenry County, Illinois and Walworth County, Wisconsin.

As envisioned, Hackmatack aims to create an 11,200-acre natural landscape by connecting four conservation core areas with wildlife-friendly migration corridors through a combination of acquisitions and private land conservation agreements. A map of the Refuge’s existing land holdings is available here from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the managing agency of the refuge.

National Wildlife Refuges serve joint purposes of

  • biodiversity conservation,
  • public recreation, and
  • education.

Hackmatack is also an urban wildlife refuge, a special designation within the National Wildlife Refuge system, which enhances its recreational and educational mission.

When open to the public, recreational opportunities will include

  • hiking and walking,
  • canoeing and kayaking,
  • birding and wildlife viewing, biking, and
  • wintertime recreation, as well as
  • volunteer stewardship events.

The property will also provide unique public access opportunities via an adjacent rails-to-trails path that connects with Wisconsin to the north and the Grand Illinois Trail network to the south.

“High-quality public land is a boon to McHenry County, as it would be for other parts of the region with natural assets like Tamarack Farms. From the emergence of Hackmatack in 2005 as an idea, Openlands has championed, with partners, the value proposition of a National Wildlife Refuge right here in our own metro,” said Michael Davidson, President and CEO of Openlands.

“McHenry County is already seeing results of accessible open space. Between 2021-2022, visitors to the county spent over $336 million, a 26% increase in spending from the previous year.

“Clearly, the economy benefits from our need to get outside and care for our physical and mental health. We hope this acquisition can lead to further investment in connecting our region’s natural lands.”

Tamarack Farms, farmland, photo by The Conservation Fund

Tamarack Farms aerial view. Photo: The Conservation Fund.

The acquisition of Tamarack Farms will further protect high-quality wildlife habitat on the property, including

  • remnant oak woodland,
  • habitat for nesting grassland birds and waterfowl,
  • cold-water springs,
  • a 70-acre open water wetland, and
  • multiple feeder streams to the nearby Nippersink Creek, one of the highest aquatic quality streams in the region.
Tamarack Farms aerial view. Photo credit: The Conservaton Fund.
  • Over 200 species of birds,
  • 70 species of fish,
  • 30 species of reptiles and amphibians,
  • 35 species of mammals, and
  • hundreds of plant species

have been recorded within the refuge boundary.

“Large-scale conservation such as this project is critical to ensure species’ resiliency in the face of climate change, and Tamarack Farms will provide a natural sanctuary for both people and wildlife,” said Jo Fessett, Executive Director of Illinois Audubon Society. “This exceptional addition to the Refuge will not only create habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species of plants and wildlife, but also present the perfect opportunity to enhance public interaction and appreciation of nature.”

Tamarack Farms remains under an active farm lease and public access will be limited until the property is opened for recreation by USFWS.

The property was purchased from a willing private seller with the stated intention of adding it to Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, resulting in the protection of nearly 10% of the land within the Refuge’s approved boundary.

The acquisition was financially supported by

  • The Conservation Fund,
  • Illinois Audubon Society, and
  • Openlands, with additional support from
  • the Bobolink Foundation,
  • James and Elizabeth Bramsen,
  • Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hamill,
  • Nancy Hamill Winter,
  • the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, and the
  • McHenry County Conservation Foundation.

The Conservation Fund and Openlands will hold the property in trust until it can be conveyed to the USFWS as funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund becomes available.

“In many ways, acquisition of Tamarack Farms represents a ‘dream realized’ for a small group who first came together over two decades ago to advocate for its protection as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system,” said Steve Byers, Chair of Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.

“Protection of Tamarack Farms, with its majestic oak woodlands, dynamic wetlands, and opportunities for prairie restoration, is a historic leap forward for the Refuge and brings it closer to its goal of 11,200 acres of protected land. It also demonstrates the power of dreams and of a shared vision with committed partners in building a landscape that benefits our natural world and the residents of the region alike.”

Those interested in experiencing the Refuge are encouraged to visit the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge website, hackmatacknwr.org, to learn about educational and volunteer opportunities, or to visit several of the USFWS or McHenry County Conservation District conservation areas within the Refuge boundary.

About The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund protects the land that sustains us all. We are in the business of conservation, creating innovative solutions that drive nature-based action in all 50 states for climate protection, vibrant communities and sustainable economies. We apply effective strategies, efficient financing approaches, and enduring government, community and private partnerships to protect millions of acres of America’s natural land, cultural sites, recreation areas and working forests and farms. To learn more, visit www.conservationfund.org.

About Illinois Audubon Society

The mission of the Illinois Audubon Society is to promote the perpetuation and appreciation of native flora and fauna and the habitats that support them. The Society is an independent, statewide, member supported, nonprofit organization. Founded in 1897, the Society is Illinois’ oldest private conservation organization with 2,200 members, 17 chapters and 19 affiliate groups. The Illinois Audubon Society has protected 6,200 acres by investing $17 million to protect land and water throughout Illinois. Find out more at illinoisaudubon.org.

About Openlands

Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich our lives. As Chicago’s regional land trust, Openlands connects and energizes the region through strategic collaboration and local partnerships. We work closely with government agencies and policymakers to develop new environmental conservation plans and practices created with all individuals in mind. From establishing city parks and trails to stewarding large-scale landscapes and waters in Northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region, Openlands is committed to advancing nature-based solutions to mitigate the threats of biodiversity loss and climate change and create access to nature for all. For more information, please visit openlands.org.

Passage of Electronic Publication of Legal Notices Could Spell Death Knell for Newspapers

Brought up in McHenry County’s Law and Justice Committee last month:

HB 3154/SB 61 Notices-Electronic Publication (Ford & Castro) Amends the Notice By Publication Act.
Provides that whenever a municipality is required to provide notice by publication in a newspaper by law, order of court, or contract, the municipality may publish the notice on an official municipal website instead of in a newspaper if the notice published on the official municipal website is also published electronically on a searchable online database website and that website provides independent certification of the publication. Provides conditions concerning the availability and format of the searchable online database website. Repeals a Section concerning the placement of published notices on a statewide website and makes corresponding changes throughout the Act and in the Newspaper Legal Notice Act. Effective immediately.(In Rules and Assignments). This legislation is supported by the Illinois uUnicipal League.

The legislation went no where.