Illinois Contributions to the American System of Conservation Funding

• Illinois has 201 sites open to public hunting. Averaging almost 2,500 acres each, this leaves nearly 470,000 acres open to the public.

• There are 125 public boat launches within the state.

• The statewide distribution of 3 hatcheries gives Illinois great latitude in rearing a wide variety of species. The system is capable of producing over 50 million fish of 18 different species.

• Illinois’ Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, (CREP) funded by the American System of Conservation (ASCF) has been successful in establishing 1,396 easements protecting over 90,000 acres. CREP’s overall success is highlighted by the response within the watershed of the Lamoine River.

• The Lamoine River is approximately 131 miles long, with 92 miles flowing directly through or alongside CREP properties. 70% of the river is under long-term protection providing a valuable riparian corridor of wildlife habitat, while also significantly contributing to the overall water quality improvement in the Illinois River.

Through the American System of Conservation Funding (comprised of revenue from sporting licenses and Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux funds), sportsmen and women contribute billions of dollars to conservation. The System is a “user-pays, public-benefits” model, wherein sportsmen and women provide the vast majority of the funding for state fish and wildlife agencies – the primary stewards of our nation’s fish and wildlife resources. The revenue generated through this System helps to conserve fish and wildlife, provide clean water and healthy landscapes, and maintain access to these resources for the public at large, not just hunters and anglers.

2015 Certified Paid

License HoldersFishing: 705,308Hunting: 320,765

2015 Total Licenses/

Permits/TagsFishing: 805,595

Hunting: 1,440,993

Illinois sportsmen and women’s contributions to the American System of Conservation Funding:

Pittman-Robertson

Fishing Licenses

Dingell-Johnson/ Wallop-Breaux Total

2015 Funding

2015 National Rankings

Historical Funding Total

Historical Funding US Rank

$34.23 M

5

$545.55 M

15

$9.38 M

$308.95 M

26

20 18

$197.94 M

20

$16.98 M

17

14

$67.39 M

17

$172.27 M

18

$6.80 M

Hunting Licenses

$ 1.22 B

sportsmenslink.org/policies/state/ascf

This report is made possible thanks to: