McHenry C. Hackmatack projects

1pheas4

1pheas4

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From what I've heard, the federal habitat project (Hackmatack) is very likely to go through for McHenry County IL. They still want petitions, so if your willing, sign away please. This will add up to 8 to 10 thousand acres of land open to public hunting within McHenry, and Walworth County's.;)

Thanks for your support!

http://www.hackmatacknwr.org/petition.htm
 
Hackmatack

You said it looks good for McHenry county but is there any issue with Walworth county? Either way I went through and signed the petition. Thanks for the info.
 
shorthairs4life said:
You said it looks good for McHenry county but is there any issue with Walworth county? Either way I went through and signed the petition. Thanks for the info.
Click to expand...

It would be for both counties.;)

I'll keep you informed as I get more info. I do know that they want PF and other orgs. to help improve habitat/connect fragmented habitats.
 
I signed it as well. It sure would be nice to see something pointed in the right direction for a change. I drive a lot of countryside and see the PF habitat signs here and there. I hope to keep seeing more and more..
 
Very cool indeed:thumbsup:
 
I've had several people ask when we can hunt on these lands. I spoke with the IDNR habitat director on Friday. He explained that it will take a few years before the ball really gets rolling on opening the lands up to the public. This is a big project and will take some time to pull it together. The land (a lot of it!) has to be purchased from private land owners and so on. I'll keep posting as I learn more.
 
Getting some traction!!!

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outd...-walworth-county-tract-t69hb9p-202865291.html

Ducks Unlimited has purchased the first parcel in the Wisconsin portion of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge.

The conservation organization finalized the transaction Wednesday; the 86-acre property is about 10 miles southeast of Lake Geneva in Walworth County.

Hackmatack is the Midwest's newest national wildlife refuge. Formally authorized last July by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, its boundaries straddle the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

An 11,200-acre conservation easement in northeastern Illinois was transferred to the federal government in November. But no property had been purchased in the proposed Wisconsin portion of the project until Wednesday.

Ducks Unlimited paid $400,000 for the land out of its Strategic Initiative Fund, a revolving fund earmarked for high-priority land acquisitions, said Steve Kass, the group's director of development for Wisconsin and Illinois.

The parcel has been used for agricultural production but has "excellent restoration potential," said Brian Glenzinski, regional biologist for Ducks Unlimited.

Drain tile will be removed from the property to create a 20-acre wetland. The remainder will be converted to prairie and savanna. Nippersink Creek flows through the parcel.

Ducks Unlimited plans to work with the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program to restore the property. The organization eventually will turn the title over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"Partnerships like the one with DU are critical to the immediate and long-term success of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge," said Tom Larsen, chief of the Service's Division of Conservation Planning. "Currently, there are no federal dollars for acquisition within the refuge. Without DU and the other conservation organizations, we would not have been able to buy any land for Hackmatack."

The refuge's long-range goal is to purchase title or easement to about 30,000 acres in southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois.
 
Thanks for the update Upland:). This is great news. I believe it's the second or third purchase for this project since the "green light".

All good:thumbsup:
 
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