Please proofread my letter to the Dnr discouraging the mtb trail expansion.

[Hunting Wife]

To whom it may concern,
My name is Douglas R.
I am frequent user of Kickapoo state recreation area, specifically the area north of county road 2130 where the mountain bike club is attempting to expand their existing trail system by constructing trail 11.

I strongly oppose the construction of trail 11.
The lack of trails and roads in this area make for a wonderful outdoor recreation experience similar to true wilderness areas in western states.

I am an avid mountain biker. I’ve logged over 1000 miles on the existing trail system this summer, often riding with members of the Kickapoo mountain bike club who are proponents of trail 11 and have taken part in the design and construction of the existing 20 plus miles of trail.
We rarely ride the entirety of the system in one evening so I have a hard time understanding their desire to build 10 more miles of essentially the same trail running through the same scenery.
Also worth noting is that on several occasions this summer these individuals have mentioned certain sections of the trail falling into disarray following the construction of trail 10 last year due to lack of use. Perhaps we could take care of the trails we have before adding another 10 miles?

I’ve also spent countless hours hunting and wandering the proposed construction area over the past 5 years. Through those wanderings I have developed skills and confidence in the outdoors that have lead me to numerous diy, multi-day backpacking, skiing and backpack hunting adventures in the mountainous west that have provided me with a great sense of joy and purpose.
I’ve introduced numerous people from various walks of life including professional educators and civil engineers to the joys and rewards of squirrel hunting and off trail navigation in this area.
I believe the current trail configuration allows for mixed use while at the same time not diminishing the experience of either group. I also fear potential for user conflict based on the planned route of the new trail.

In conclusion, I feel the construction of trail 11 would greatly diminish the beauty of this abnormally large un-trailed section of Illinois public land.
For a variety of reasons, access to hunting land in our state has been greatly reduced over past decades.
I feel it would be a shame to transform such a beautiful, wild place into a racetrack or an amusement park.

I would like to one more time mention how rare it is in this state to find such a large un-trailed, continuous section of woods in Illinois.

Thank you for your time,

Here’s a suggestion. Your words in the quote above, but rearranged for impact and clarity. Hits all the main points but it started to feel long….I would leave the details of the trail construction for future conversations.

 

[schmalts]

You forgot to mention something about strong IPA beer. JK. I am an avid mountain biker as well. I cannot form an opinion of what he situation is there without being there and seeing how the trail is laid out and how much it covers, but I think the letter looks good. In the end my guess is the future of public land will be ruled by what party uses it the most and supplies the most funding.

 

[Dave N]

Don't you need an "a" between "I am" and "frequent user"?

 

[rwc101]

You being serious or joking?
I definitely want to come off as pro multi use.

Joking. I think you showed that you're multi use.

 

[Wallydeuce]

Just a thought. I would eliminate "For what it's worth".
Good letter. If you can, get the name of the person you are writing to. I like it better than, "To whom it may concern".

 

[Nick87]

Wish you luck getting anywhere with idnr douglas.

 

[DouglasR]

Thanks again for all the help everyone!
if anyone should feel so inclined as to write a letter of their own or leave a voicemail at the park office saying something as simple as “I oppose trail 11”
they close at 3:30 so you’ll go straight to the voicemail.

217-442-4915

And here’s the email

[email protected]

@nick87 @TheGreek @ILbowhntr @Dave N

If you guys have a moment to help out the home team, I’d appreciate it.
It’s a pretty fun place to hunt, hike, bike and kayak if you’re ever looking for a local place to check out.

 

[DouglasR]

Notice how it’s almost split into perfect 1/3’s right now?
multi use anyone?

the area circled in red is the un-trailed area I’m referring to.
circled in blue is the mountain bike trail system.
it zig zags through that section of land.
you cannot walk through there without crossing the trail.
the area below that with the red hash through it is hiking and running only. No bikes or hunting.
I guess the ducks are waterfowl blinds but that’s not what we’re discussing here darn it!

 

[DouglasR]

Site superintendents email.
You know, If you’re bored.

Kickapoo State Park
10906 Kickapoo Park Road
Oakwood, IL 61858
Contact: TimEdison,SiteSuperintendent (217)442-4915
Or email [email protected]

 

[TheGreek]

Address is to

Thanks again for all the help everyone!
if anyone should feel so inclined as to write a letter of their own or leave a voicemail at the park office saying something as simple as “I oppose trail 11”
they close at 3:30 so you’ll go straight to the voicemail.

217-442-4915

And here’s the email

[email protected]

@nick87 @TheGreek @ILbowhntr @Dave N

If you guys have a moment to help out the home team, I’d appreciate it.
It’s a pretty fun place to hunt, hike, bike and kayak if you’re ever looking for a local place to check out.

Email sent Doug. It read something like this:

Dear Crooked IL DNR:
Please stop harshing my boy DougieFresh's vibe by building more mountain bike trails at Kickapoo. He, like all men of a certain age, needs a place to relax and roll spliffs while chasing big, meaty squirrels in order to feel his freezer, away from the annoyance of wannabe outdoorsman adorned in brightly colored spandex, mounted atop a pair of large rubber wheels, whizzing through the woods. In all truthfulness, would be mountain bikers should move their a**es from East-Central IL to Colorado with the rest of the hippies if they are really that into mountain biking and should leave the local public lands to good ole' Illinois activities like shooting squirrels, drinking Busch Light and spotlighting deer. After all, DougFlutie is pretty core when it comes to chasing squirrels, freshies and skamping.
God Bless,
TheGreek, another ***hole from Chicago bossing around people from Downstate

 

[DouglasR]

there’s no such thing as bad press!
Thank you!

 

[DouglasR]

Address is to

Email sent Doug. It read something like this:

Dear Crooked IL DNR:
Please stop harshing my boy DougieFresh's vibe by building more mountain bike trails at Kickapoo. He, like all men of a certain age, needs a place to relax and roll spliffs while chasing big, meaty squirrels in order to feel his freezer, away from the annoyance of wannabe outdoorsman adorned in brightly colored spandex, mounted atop a pair of large rubber wheels, whizzing through the woods. In all truthfulness, would be mountain bikers should move their a**es from East-Central IL to Colorado with the rest of the hippies if they are really that into mountain biking and should leave the local public lands to good ole' Illinois activities like shooting squirrels, drinking Busch Light and spotlighting deer. After all, DougFlutie is pretty core when it comes to chasing squirrels, freshies and skamping.
God Bless,
TheGreek, another ***hole from Chicago bossing around people from Downstate

There’s no such thing as bad press!
thank you!

 

[Nick87]

Address is to

Email sent Doug. It read something like this:

Dear Crooked IL DNR:
Please stop harshing my boy DougieFresh's vibe by building more mountain bike trails at Kickapoo. He, like all men of a certain age, needs a place to relax and roll spliffs while chasing big, meaty squirrels in order to feel his freezer, away from the annoyance of wannabe outdoorsman adorned in brightly colored spandex, mounted atop a pair of large rubber wheels, whizzing through the woods. In all truthfulness, would be mountain bikers should move their a**es from East-Central IL to Colorado with the rest of the hippies if they are really that into mountain biking and should leave the local public lands to good ole' Illinois activities like shooting squirrels, drinking Busch Light and spotlighting deer. After all, DougFlutie is pretty core when it comes to chasing squirrels, freshies and skamping.
God Bless,
TheGreek, another ***hole from Chicago bossing around people from Downstate

That's awesome. The part about the crooked idnr is certainly spot on.

 

[DouglasR]

@mtnprst I know that as a silent professional you normally operate in silence...
But you know...
If you get the chance.

 

[TheGreek]

@mtnprst I know that as a silent professional you normally operate in silence...
But you know...
If you get the chance.

He's gonna say that you ain't core enough cause you ain't chasing bushytails with a trad bow and cause IL doesn't limit NR squirrel tags at 90/10.

 

[R.K.]

I'm not certain saying you like the untrailed area for more hunting is the right approach to take with the current IDNR. It feels like there's been a lot of anti-hunters appointed to leadership positions in that organization over the last couple decades, as well as conservation officers / game wardens.

But it's utter crap that they can't just leave something undeveloped. People need wilder places to develop different skills and have different experiences. The current setup seems great for multiple use, but expanding the trail network would give preference to one user group at the detriment of another.

 

[DouglasR]

@Ben Lamb @Hunting Wife @othersmartpeople

How do I find out how this park and the dnr are funded?
does any of their money come from tags and license sales?
Does any of their money come from pittman Robertson?

One of the mtb clubs main talking points is how they can bring upwards of 1 million dollars to the community, but they don’t charge to use the trails?
Obviously I know what they’re trying to say about generating money but it takes a lot of tanks of gas and Hardee’s cheeseburgers to get to $1,000,000.
They have a counter at 2 different spots on the trail, but they collect the data and report it to the park and obviously the counter doesn’t account for 1 person lapping trail 1 where the counter is multiple times in one ride.
This is just a hunter talking shit, but The 3,000 users a month they mention in the article below is not the numbers they were telling me when we were out collecting the data from the counters this summer.
I want to say they said 1,800 was a big month.

Hunting at this area is free, but obviously you have to buy a license and tags.
hunters are required to print out a windshield card and report every day they hunt to the dnr by February 15th or they lose permission to hunt that park the following year.

 

[DouglasR]

Hunting for space

VERMILION COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Kickapoo State Recreation Area may be quiet in the winter, but thousands visit every year. Some of them are out-of-town visitors. Others visit regularly and ar…

www.google.com

 

[DouglasR]

Not to mention how much money does it cost the community when they have to life flight people out of there who take headers off the jumps and sticks up their asses when they fly off the course?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Here's the Illinois 2021 State Budget: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/budget/Pages/BudgetBooks.aspx

Here's a recap of the budget from March: https://www.outdoornews.com/2020/02...t-includes-27-5-million-for-asian-carp-fight/

It seems like Parks get the lion's share of their funding from the General Fund - tax dollars. You would need to call the Parks department HQ and ask them the more specific questions relative to parks funding, PR, etc. I'd also ask about LWCF funding for state parks to see if any of them were purchased using LWCF Federal-Side dollars. Those can often come with some pretty strict sideboards relative to wildlife management and propagation.