State parks: What I think will happen
3 comments December 1st, 2008
A recent comment on the story about Lowden and Castle Rock state parks bemoaned a lack of information. There are few facts out there other than the parks are closed. To the best of my knowledge, the closures are temporary until the state comes up with the money to keep them open.
I’ve been following the situation at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources pretty closely the last few years and this is what I think will happen based on research and interviews.
I think the parks will reopen in the spring, but I think you’ll have to pay to get into them. I also think fees for camping, hunting and fishing will increase. My guess is the governor wants to get the DNR totally off the state’s general revenue and make it self-sufficient. He’ll then use the DNR money to advance one of his pet projects.
The governor finally will get around to naming a permanent DNR director. That person will be credited with the fee idea to rescue the parks and will be hailed as a hero by some.
The General Assembly will be presented with the new DNR guy’s plan and after much wringing of hands and heated debate, it will pass. There’s too much at stake in the communities where the closed parks are located to allow them to remain closed. Senators and representatives will argue that folks would rather pay to get into the parks than see the parks closed.
I am not advocating this. I’m predicting it will happen.
