A West Central Illinois county is trying to throw up a roadblock for a proposed national park along the Illinois and Mississippi River.
AltonWorks unveiled a plan in November of last year to create the Great Rivers National Park that would capture major portions of the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The proposed national park would encompass 135,000 acres and stretch 144 miles. The proposed park would encompass conservation areas, monuments, and national wildlife refuges in portions of Madison, Jersey, and Calhoun counties on the Illinois side.
AltonWorks leaders said in the proposal that the idea of a national park is worth exploring because of the already present federal footprint and the outsized cultural, historical and economic impact on the Mississippi River Valley.
Residents of Calhoun County appear to be opposed to the idea. The Calhoun News-Herald reports that the Calhoun County Board is drafting a resolution of opposition to the proposed national park. According to the report, Calhoun County Commissioner Patrick Simon read about the proposal, saw that included portions of Calhoun County, and decided to bring it to the full board because no one had ever contacted the county about the proposal or asked for Calhoun County government to provide input on the idea. Simon says he’s concerned that a national park will shut down the public’s access to hunting and fishing opportunities that are currently provided on the wildlife refuges and conservation areas.
According to the report, the Calhoun County government is now in the process of opening communication with AltonWorks on the proposed national park and Calhoun County State’s Attorney Lucas Fanning is drafting an official letter of opposition. Simon says that the county is also reaching out to Congresswoman Mary Miller’s office as well as state elected officials about their opposition to the idea.