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Nature Conservancy Applauds
Congressional Appropriations Bill for Illinois Projects
Congressional Action Demonstrates Commitment to Protecting Important Natural Areas in Illinois
Chicago—The Nature Conservancy in Illinois applauds Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) and Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL), for helping to ensure funding for important conservation work in Illinois through the FY ‘05 Omnibus Appropriations Bill recently approved by Congress.
The bill designates $127,000 to Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, situated along the Cache River in Southern Illinois. This funding will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) to acquire land within the purchase boundaries of the refuge. The USFW is a member of the Joint Venture Partnership on the Cache River along with Ducks Unlimited, the State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy.
Because of their rich biological variety, the wetlands of the Cache River have been designated as one of only 15 "Wetlands of International Importance." This designation from the Ramsar Convention of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ranks the Cache River with other important wetlands, such as the Florida Everglades.
Also included is $850,000 appropriated for the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois, to be used by the U.S. Forest Service to acquire land. The Nature Conservancy is involved with the U.S. Forest Service in a Middle Mississippi River partnership, which includes preservation and restoration work in and around the Shawnee National Forest, including the Conservancy’s Ozarks Project. The Illinois Ozarks, which stretch along the banks of the Mississippi River in Southern Illinois, represent one of the most-extensive forested regions in the state.
"Senator Durbin, Congressman Costello and Congressman Shimkus, continue to support the important conservation work in Southern Illinois through their commitment to protecting the state's natural resources. We applaud them for their efforts to get this funding included in the budget that was just passed," says Carl Becker, Public Lands Director for the Nature Conservancy in Illinois.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.
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