Chicago Wilderness Programs Cut
as Federal and State Funds Reduced

The financial crisis facing the U.S. Forest Service due to the cost of fighting wildfires, and Illinois' severe budget shortfalls, have put a number of Chicago Wilderness programs at risk.

In June, the U.S. Forest Service announced that, due to the high cost of wildfire suppression in the West, it is deferring payments on all FY02 funding previously allocated to many conservation programs, including $700,000 for Chicago Wilderness. That represents almost half of the consortium's total budget, and will have significant impacts on the science, land management, and education programs that rely on Chicago Wilderness grants.

Federal cutbacks will deprive Illinois of more than $3 million, including direct support of IDNR operations ($820,405) and grants to various partners, including Chicago Wilderness (through the Illinois Conservation Foundation), The Nature Conservancy, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, DePaul University, and several other nonprofit entities.

At the same time, the State of Illinois reduced funding to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) by more than $70 million, citing severe budget shortfalls. This includes an $8 million reduction in the Conservation 2000 (C2000) program grants for which Chicago Wilderness programs are eligible. None of the region's ecosystem partnerships, including the Chicago Wilderness Ecosystem Partnership (part of the state's C2000 program) will receive any IL03 grants unless they are for capital expenditures. The budget cuts also mean the virtual elimination of the Illinois EcoWatch program, which trains volunteers to collect natural resource data used by scientists and land managers around the region. The Open Land Trust program, which buys land for natural resource protection and public recreations, was cut by $4 million, and the only two staff positions at the Endangered Species Board were eliminated.

Major reductions also affected the state's Open Space Land Acquisition and Development fund, an important source of funding for park districts and forest preserve districts to acquire open lands. The fund balance, which pays for grants to local governments, was cut by $29 million. The IDNR's share of the real estate transfer tax was also reduced, resulting in an annual cut of $9 million. If the share of the real estate transfer tax is not restored in the coming year, annual grants will be cut in half. Also, if the funding is not reinstated, the budget cuts will force state agencies such as the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission to lay off staff and greatly reduce future protection, restoration and monitoring of ecosystems throughout Illinois.

Moreover, due to a program promoting early retirement, IDNR is likely to lose more than 400 staff, many of them senior scientists and professionals. "This is a time bomb waiting for the next governor," commented one longtime observer of state government. "It will decimate the ranks of state agencies, and the people who are leaving have the most institutional knowledge."

"We hope that Congress will appropriate additional funds for fighting wildfires so the Forest Service can see that the grants it had originally intended to support will be implemented," said Laurel Ross, chair of the Chicago Wilderness coordinating group.

In the meantime, Chicago Wilderness will continue current programs as it seeks to broaden its base of support through the recently launched Corporate Council and through private foundation grants.