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1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois, through its Department of | ||||||
3 | Natural Resources, has provided a captive-reared pheasant | ||||||
4 | hunting program since 1946; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The captive-reared pheasants are released on | ||||||
6 | public lands for hunting; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The Department of Natural Resources' Controlled | ||||||
8 | Pheasant Hunting Program (CPHP) is now provided at 18 public | ||||||
9 | hunting areas geographically distributed throughout Illinois; | ||||||
10 | and
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11 | WHEREAS, The Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program provides | ||||||
12 | an important and irreplaceable hunting experience for many | ||||||
13 | hunters; and
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14 | WHEREAS, Illinois is highly urbanized, and 95% of all the | ||||||
15 | land in the State is privately owned with limited hunting | ||||||
16 | access; and
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17 | WHEREAS, The State's wild pheasant population has declined | ||||||
18 | over the past 30 years; and
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19 | WHEREAS, The combination of limited hunting access and the |
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1 | decline in wild pheasant populations results in many hunters | ||||||
2 | relying on public hunting areas for their sport and recreation; | ||||||
3 | and
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4 | WHEREAS, With the urbanization and development of so much | ||||||
5 | of Illinois, public hunting areas are the sole source for urban | ||||||
6 | hunters; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Public hunting areas are the most accessible for | ||||||
8 | the State's active senior and handicapped hunters; and
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9 | WHEREAS, In 2006, 46,850, or 97.7% of the pheasants | ||||||
10 | harvested on public lands were captive-reared pheasants from | ||||||
11 | the 18 public hunting areas; and
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12 | WHEREAS, In 2006, only 1,100 wild pheasants were harvested | ||||||
13 | from the remaining 19 public hunting areas where captive-reared | ||||||
14 | pheasant are not released; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, Illinois realized in excess of 29,000 pheasant | ||||||
16 | hunter trips under the Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program; and
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17 | WHEREAS, Considerable revenues are realized from the | ||||||
18 | State's vast population of pheasant hunters each and every | ||||||
19 | season; and
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1 | WHEREAS, Pheasant hunters pay a $15 daily access fee for | ||||||
2 | using the Department of Natural Resources' controlled pheasant | ||||||
3 | hunting areas; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Pheasant hunters must also purchase an Illinois | ||||||
5 | hunting license and most also purchase the $5.50 Habitat stamp; | ||||||
6 | and
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7 | WHEREAS, Illinois hunters contribute to the State's $5.8 | ||||||
8 | million Pitman-Roberson apportionment through the federal | ||||||
9 | excise tax paid on sporting arms and ammunition; and
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10 | WHEREAS, Illinois pheasant hunters contribute | ||||||
11 | significantly to the local economies surrounding | ||||||
12 | State-controlled hunting areas; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Department of Natural Resources operates 3 | ||||||
14 | Wildlife Propagation Centers; and
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15 | WHEREAS, These unique pheasant production facilities were | ||||||
16 | constructed at a cost of nearly $8 million; and
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17 | WHEREAS, In 2007, 65,000 mature pheasants raised at the | ||||||
18 | Wildlife Propagation Centers were released on the State's | ||||||
19 | controlled pheasant hunting lands; and |
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1 | WHEREAS, Without the Department of Natural Resources' | ||||||
2 | Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program, pheasant hunting in | ||||||
3 | Illinois would virtually cease to exist; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Illinois pheasant hunters would be displaced and | ||||||
5 | not have adequate access to hunting areas, especially in the | ||||||
6 | State's expanding urban regions; and
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7 | WHEREAS, The revenues realized by both the State and the | ||||||
8 | local economies within the State would suffer considerably | ||||||
9 | without the continuation of the State's Controlled Pheasant | ||||||
10 | Hunting Program; therefore, be it
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11 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | ||||||
12 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | ||||||
13 | CONCURRING HEREIN, that we recognize the financial and | ||||||
14 | professional investment committed by the State in creating its | ||||||
15 | progressive and advanced propagation centers; and be it further
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16 | RESOLVED, We acknowledge and understand the significance | ||||||
17 | of the State's Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program operated by | ||||||
18 | the Department of Natural Resources; and be it further
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19 | RESOLVED, We encourage and expect the continuation and | ||||||
20 | maintenance of the Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program to | ||||||
21 | insure access and availability for pheasant hunters from |
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1 | throughout Illinois; and be it further
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2 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
3 | presented to the Director of Natural Resources and the | ||||||
4 | Governor.
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