One of the more challenging problems facing the Department of Natural Resources is providing public recreational access and opportunities to our constituents. In order to carry on our outdoor traditions, we need to connect youth and families to lands and opportunities.
Utilizing resources recently obtained through a grant from the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, Illinoisans will have more places to enjoy the great outdoors through the Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP).
IRAP will increase public outdoor recreational opportunities on private lands through payments to eligible land owners who agree up to a three-year lease for any of all of the following: youth turkey hunting, fishing (ponds, rivers and streams), non-motorized boat access on public waterways, birding and outdoor photography. In addition, incentive payments will be made for habitat management plans written on IRAP-leased property and IDNR will help secure cost-share funding to implement habitat practices.
2011-2012 Landowner Eligibility
- Proposed leased property must be in at least one of the 68 counties that are in the Illinois or Kaskaskia River watershed basins.
- For youth turkey hunting, landowner must have at a minimum 40 acres of land with good turkey habitat.
- Ponds and impoundments must have at least one acre of surface water and be of adequate fish habitat to provide for fishing.
- Non-motorized boat access must be on an Illinois public waterway, i.e. Kankakee River
How the IRAP Works
Landowners fill out, sign and mail in the landowner enrollment form informing the IDNR their interest in participating in IRAP. IDNR’s IRAP Coordinator will contact the landowner for further information and schedule a site visit and discuss the program with the landowner. If the proposed leased property is accepted into the IRAP, the lease is signed by the landowner and IDNR.
Before the public is allowed to use the property, IDNR will map the leased property and post signs to identify boundary lines, etc. If a three year lease is signed, the IRAP Coordinator will have a management plan written for the leased property within a year.
Activities
Youth Turkey Hunting for youngsters under the age of 16 at the time of the hunt. Youth hunters and their parent or guardians will need to fill out an application and liability waiver to hunt in a specific county. They will then be matched up with a location (If necessary, a lottery will be held locally when more hunters than locations are available). All eligible youth hunters will receive an IRAP permit that allows them to hunt, map of the site and specific instructions on conducting a safe and fun hunt. Youth hunters will also be able to scout prior to their assigned hunt.
Youth turkey hunters will have three periods in which they can apply to hunt in on an IRAP-leased property.
1. 2012 Youth Spring Turkey Season March 31 - April 1 (South) and April 7-8, 2012 (North).
2. 2012 Spring Turkey Season Three.
3. 2012 Spring turkey season Four.
Outdoor Recreationalists who want to fish, bird watch, launch a canoe or do a little outdoor photography need to fill out an application, sign a liability waiver and receive an IRAP permit prior to being allowed access to an IRAP leased property. Once you have received a permit, you can then reserve a site. In order to protect the habitat and depending on the property itself, there will be limits on how many recreationalists can use a specific property at a given time. Access is permitted as long as no hunting is being conducted on the property, Friday thru Monday during the dates listed below:
- Fishing/Non-motorized boat access: April 1 - September 30, 2012
- Birding and Outdoor Photography: May 1 - September 30, 2012
Please Note: Landowner enrollments are being accepted NOW through October 15, 2011.
Additional instructions, applications and other materials for will be available later this fall.
For more information, contact Tammy Miller at tammy.miller@illinois.gov or 217-524-1266.