Public Access Committee Mr. Larry Lucas, Chair Mr. Pat Kernan, Co-Chair

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Public Access CommitteeMr. Larry Lucas,
ChairMr. Pat Kernan, Co-Chair
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Public Access Goal

• Goal To provide every outdoor recreationist an
  opportunity to pursue his/her outdoor activity.
• The committee traveled to Springfield, Quincy,
  and Bartlett to solicit public input and discuss
  recommendations to accomplish goal.

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Scope of Outdoor Access

• Public versus Private Landownership
• Type of Recreational Use
• (Trails/Consumptive/Non-consumptive)
• Land versus Water

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Challenges With Providing Access on Public Land

• Limited Amount of Public
• Land
• Diversity of Competing
• Outdoor Activities
• Relatively Large, Increasing Human
• Population

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Challenges With Providing Access on Private Land

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
• Parcelization of Landownership
• Urban Sprawl
• Cultural Changes

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What do outdoor recreationists want from a public
access program?
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Access to Public Lands

• Determine availability and location of public
  lands
• Maximize outdoor recreational opportunities for
  all groups
• Develop, improve and maintain infrastructure on
  public lands
• Provide additional opportunities through land
  acquisition from willing sellers
• Update the definition of a public waterway

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Access to Private Lands

• Liability Protection
• User and landowner relationships
• Needed incentives to open land to access
• Cash
• Tax Breaks
• Technical Assistance and Cost Share
• Free Labor
• Federal Farm Program Subsidies
• Wildlife Management Benefits

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Amend the Recreational Use of Land and Waters
  Area Act
• Develop a Program to Provide Access to public
  and Private Lands
• Create a State Water Trails Plan and a Model
  Heritage Water Trail
• Star Parks on State-owned Sites

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Recommendation 1Restore liability protection
for private landowners who open their land for
recreation

• Objectives
• Reinstate the original protection
• for landowners
• Retain the current protection for
• landowners
• Protect landowners who contract
• with the IDNR

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Recommendation 2Develop a program to provide
access to public and private land

• Objective
• The IDNR needs to increase access to available
  land in Illinois for outdoor recreational
  purposes.

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Recommendation 3IDNR should create a State
Water Trails Plan

• Objectives
• Increases paddling related tourism throughout the
  State
• Expands public access to Illinois rivers and
  streams
• Accurately reflects the current recreational use
  of Illinois waterways
• Establishes designated watertrails on waterways
  identified in the Plan

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Recommendation 3IDNR should establish a model
State Heritage Water Trail

• Objectives
• The IDNR should establish one model state
  Heritage Water Trail outside of Northeastern
  Illinois between January 1, 2010 and December 31,
  2012.

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Recommendation 4IDNR should establish a star
park in every IDNR site.

• Objectives
• Provide a place to enjoy the starry nightscape on
  each IDNR site.
• Initiate long-range planning to qualify one area
  as a Starlight Reserve/Dark-Sky Preserve
• Stop the increase in light pollution
• starting with State properties.

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Where do we go from here?