Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Announced
October 28, 2008
William Guerrini, Don Hankla, Dwight Hoffard, and George Rabb to be honored next February 28
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – Four Illinoisans with decades of dedication to enhancing outdoor recreation and natural resources protection in the state have been selected for induction into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame.
William Guerrini, the late Don Hankla, Dwight Hoffard, and Dr. George Rabb have been selected for the hall of fame from among dozens of nominees submitted by citizens from throughout Illinois. The four conservation leaders will be inducted into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the Illinois Conservation Foundation’s annual Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet to be held next February 28 at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main Street, St. Charles.
“These men have set the standard for helping others enjoy outdoor Illinois and to appreciate all the natural wonders of our state,” said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Acting Director Sam Flood, who serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the Illinois Conservation Foundation. “The Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame honors the ‘best of the best’ each year, and the inductions of Bill Guerrini, Don Hankla, Dwight Hoffard, and George Rabb will help inspire all of us to be good stewards of our natural resources.”
“Induction into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame recognizes commitment to making our state a better place to live for Illinois citizens, visitors, and for future generations,” said Greg Legan, executive director of the Illinois Conservation Foundation. “We are very pleased to add these four dedicated conservationists to the roster of distinguished Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame members.”
The Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Class of 2009
William H. Guerrini, Spring Valley
A lifelong advocate for outdoor recreation in Illinois, Bill Guerrini served as one of the state’s first volunteer Hunter Safety Education course instructors in the 1970s. A long time educator and coach, Bill is the founder of the Spring Valley Walleye Club and helped bring the successful Master’s Walleye Circuit professional fishing tournament to Illinois in 1987. The tournament has served as an outstanding promotion for the Illinois River walleye and sauger fishery for more than 20 years. Bill Guerrini also promotes youth fishing events and boating in north-central Illinois.
Don Hankla, Anna
The late Don Hankla was a long time sportsman, conservationist, and advocate for natural resources conservation in Illinois. The Anna native retired in 1987 after a distinguished career as a wildlife biologist and researcher with the North Carolina Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After retiring, Don Hankla dedicated his volunteer efforts to conservation stewardship in the Cache River watershed in southern Illinois. Don chaired the interagency Cache River watershed planning initiative and helped develop the local Cache River Ecosystem Partnership and the Friends of the Cache River Watershed, promoting watershed protection projects throughout the Cache River basin. Don Hankla passed away in April 2007.
Dwight Hoffard, Johnston City
For more than 20 years, Dwight Hoffard has been the driving force behind the success of the Southern Illinois National Hunting and Fishing Days festival on the campus of John A. Logan College in Carterville, chairing the event for the past 15 years. Dwight is also a tireless volunteer in promoting outdoor recreation safety, serving as an IDNR Master Hunting Safety Education Instructor, Master Boating Safety Instructor, wingshooting instructor, and National Sporting Clays Association Youth Shooting Instructor. Dwight Hoffard is also a founder of the Youth Outdoor Education Foundation, the Southern Illinois Boat and Fishing Show, Friends of Crab Orchard, and the Midwest Bass Classic fishing tournament.
Dr. George B. Rabb, Brookfield
George Rabb, president emeritus of the Chicago Zoological Society, is a dedicated conservationist known internationally for implementing programs focused on conservation research and education. During a 47-year career at the Brookfield Zoo, George Rabb transformed the zoo to promote a concern for the natural world and conservation ethic among the facility’s millions of visitors. Dr. Rabb has also dedicated volunteer leadership to promoting natural resources conservation as a member and chairman of the Board of the Illinois State Museum. Among his many professional associations, Dr. Rabb served as chairman of the Species Survival Commission of the World Conservation Union, helping develop conservation action plans intended to stem the decline in amphibians.
In addition to the induction ceremony for the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame, the banquet next February 28 will also include presentations of the Illinois Conservation Foundation’s annual Conservation Youth Achievement Scholarships. Ten students will each receive $1,000 scholarships for their achievements in natural resources stewardship. Nomination forms for the scholarship program are available on the ICF web site at www.ilcf.org
. The deadline to submit nominations for the scholarships is December 1.
Proceeds from the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet assist in funding the youth scholarships and the popular ICF grant program, supporting natural resource protection, environmental enhancement, and education projects statewide.
For more information on the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Banquet on February 28, 2009 at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, contact Greg Legan, Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271, phone 217/785-2003, or check the ICF web site at www.ilcf.org.
The ICF is an IRS 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit corporation established in 1995 to support the programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
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IDNR Releases Biological Stream Ratings for Diversity, Integrity, and Significance
October 20, 2008
Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity
SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announces the release of biological stream ratings that combine, update, and enhance the two previous approaches for rating Illinois streams. Stream ratings are an important tool in identifying which streams are the most biologically diverse and have a high degree of integrity. These ratings are regularly used by the IDNR and watershed and environmental groups that focus on stream protection and enhancement.
The new ratings for diversity, integrity, and significance replace the Biological Stream Characterization (BSC) and Biologically Significant Streams (BSS) that were developed in 1984 and 1992 respectively.
“Both BSC and BSS processes generated products that are used extensively by diverse stakeholders,” said IDNR Acting Director Sam Flood. “The new stream ratings will provide the Illinois Department of Natural Resources with a mechanism for identifying high-quality examples of all stream communities and will guide management and restoration activities throughout the state.”
The new ratings use fish, macroinvertebrates, crayfish, mussels, and threatened and endangered species information to generate an overall score of biological diversity and integrity in streams. The purpose behind the new ratings was not only to update outdated information, but to establish baseline conditions against which change promoted by the Wildlife Action Plan could be measured and understood. Since the Wildlife Action Plan broadly addresses all types of wildlife including fish, mussels, amphibians, and reptiles, these new ratings will help resource managers to determine if aquatic organisms are responding to management activities promoted by the plan.
The information contributing to integrity and diversity ratings is then used to identify a sub-set of stream reaches as “biologically significant”. The revised ratings are limited mostly to wadeable streams and incorporate biological information from 1997 - 2007.
“We believe that including additional groups of organisms into both integrity and diversity measures in ratings provides a more robust assessment of stream biological condition, thereby improving our confidence in stream ratings,” said Mike Conlin Director of IDNR – Office of Resource Conservation.
More information about how the ratings were developed and what biological information was used can be found at: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/orc/BioStrmRatings/
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Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest Deadline October 31
September 15, 2008
Youth Encouraged to Enter
If you think you have an eye for photography and love the outdoors, then try entering the Outdoor Alabama Magazine 2009 Photo Contest. The deadline for entries is October 31, 2008. In addition to the regular categories of Birds, Scenic/Pictorial, Mammals, Nature-based Recreation, Other Wildlife, Reptiles/Amphibians, and Flora, new categories added this year are for youth and photos taken at state parks. The youth category has two age groups: 6-12 and 13-18.
Adding the youth category is a way the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is encouraging youth to enjoy the outdoors. “Photography is something anyone can enjoy,” says Outdoor Alabama Editor Kim G. Nix. “We’d really like to encourage young people to spend some time outdoors taking notice and photographing the beauty that our state offers. All youth may not be able to compete on an adult level, so we created a special category for them,” she said.
Winning entries in this annual competition will be published in the February 2009 issue of Outdoor Alabama magazine. The contest is open to any amateur photographer except employees of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and members of their immediate families. An amateur is defined as someone who does not earn most of his or her living from photography.
All photos must be digital and submitted on a CD along with an official entry form and data sheet. The forms may be downloaded here. You can also email a request to magazine [at] outdooralabama [dot] com or call 800-262-3151.
In addition to having their winning entries printed in Outdoor Alabama, prizes will be awarded to the first place winners in each category. Certificates will be awarded to first, second and third place and one honorable mention from each category.
Outdoor Alabama magazine is published by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Parks, State Lands, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
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Open House to Discuss Proposed Management Strategy for New Wildlife Area in the Cibola Valley
August 19, 2008
Project to restore 1300-acre site back to native riparian habitat
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Bureau of Reclamation will host a public open house from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, to discuss the draft cooperative management plan for restoring native riparian habitat in the newly acquired wildlife area in the Cibola Valley.
The open house will be held at the main office of the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Cibola, Ariz., which is about 90 miles north of Yuma and 25 miles south of Blythe, Calif.
The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. with a brief PowerPoint of the plan, project history and management objectives. Following the presentation, representatives from both agencies will be on site to answer questions to close out the meeting.
“This wildlife area will play a significant role in the even-larger Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program,” says Troy Smith, habitat specialist for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “The first week in September is a great time to share this with the public, as we typically have a lot of visitors in our region at that time.”
The Bureau of Reclamation is the implementing agency for the multi-stakeholder Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP), a 50-year effort to conserve threatened, endangered, and sensitive wildlife and habitats native to the lower Colorado River.
Smith adds, “Key proposed enhancements for the wildlife area are to replace existing agricultural fields with native riparian cottonwood, willow, and mesquite land cover types which would be managed as habitat for LCR MSCP-covered species and other wildlife.”
Native riparian habitats along the lower Colorado River will provide critical feeding, cover, and nesting resources for many avian species, including federally- and state-listed and sensitive species, neotropical migrants, raptors and game birds, as well as important habitat components for mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
To learn more about the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, visit www.lcrmscp.gov.
Directions:
From Blythe, go approximately three miles west on I-10 to Neighbours Boulevard, exit 78. Go south on Neighbours for 12 miles to the Cibola Bridge. After crossing the bridge, continue south for 3.5 miles to the refuge headquarters. For more information call the refuge at (928) 857-3253 or visit www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/CibolaNWR.
From Yuma, go approximately 10 miles west on I-8 to Ogilby Road, exit 159. Go north on Ogilby for approximately 30 miles to route 78 and go north (right) for approximately 31 miles to 35th Ave., go east (right) follow to Neighbours Boulevard, go south to Cibola Bridge. After crossing the bridge, head south for 3.5 miles to the refuge headquarters. For more information call the refuge at (928) 857-3253 or visit www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/CibolaNWR.
If you have questions, please contact Troy Smith trsmith [at] azgfd [dot] gov.
A PDF map of the wildlife area can be downloaded by clicking here.
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