Help Protect 700 Acres of Open Space in Northeast Illinois

[This post has been copied verbatim from Chicago Wilderness.]

Contact Governor Rod Blagojevich to express your support of the transfer of 700 acres of land currently owned by the Illinois Department of Corrections to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The transfer will allow IDNR to issue long-term leases for the property to the Forest Preserve District of Will County and the Lockport Township Park District.

This is an extremely important project for all of northeastern Illinois, as it has the potential to add 700 acres to land currently owned by the Forest Preserve District and Park District, to create nearly 1,000 acres of open space. This may be the last chance to accomplish such a feat in this highly urbanized area.

Historical records indicate the land was originally prairie. If preserved, restoration of the land would provide habitat for rare species of grassland birds that require large tracts of land to thrive. The land would also provide opportunities for other rare species, such as the state listed Spotted and Blanding's turtles, to expand their territory from nearby locations. In addition to its important plant and wildlife habitat potential, the land would greatly enhance outdoor recreation opportunities.

You can contact the Governor by sending a letter of support to The Honorable Rod Blagojevich, 207 State House, Springfield, IL 62707 or E-mail him at Governor Blagojevich.

UPDATE: I keep postcard stamps and old postcards near my desk for stuff like this. They ensure that acting on my beliefs won't suck up all my time like a blank 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper or an open e-mail would.

So, I wrote: Dear Gov. Blagojevich, Please transfer the 700 acres of land owned by the IL Dep't of Corrections in Will County to the IDNR. My family (politicians love family stuff, right?) values all the state's natural resources, but we believe they're too limited. Please support this logical and rare opportunity. Thank you. Jennifer Roche.

Then, I put a return address label on the upper left hand-corner so the Gov can see I'm an Illinoisan (but he does miss out on the postcard explanation, which in this case was about Amelia Bloomer). Here's the Post Office's website where it is super easy to order postcard (and other) stamps, too.