HR0084 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0084 LRB094 06799 CSA 36901 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Duck hunting is an important recreational activity in Illinois with approximately 50,000 duck hunters participating and contributing significantly to Illinois' economy annually; and

WHEREAS, Duck hunting is an important recreational activity in the United States with approximately 1.6 million duck hunters participating and contributing significantly to the U.S. economy annually; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) acknowledges that duck zones are used to distribute hunting opportunities and harvest according to temporal, geographic, and demographic variability in duck populations; and

WHEREAS, Previous analyses (40 assessments prepared by the Service, Flyway Councils, and the states) of zone-split configurations have not detected adverse effects on duck populations or harvests; and

WHEREAS, The federal rules for zones and splits for duck hunting have remained essentially static for 20 years; it is appropriate for the Service to consider additional options; and

WHEREAS, There are currently five states that have four or more zones and permission to split the duck season; and

WHEREAS, The Service's current duck zoning rules do not permit Illinois and 38 other states to use more than three zones or permit them to split the duck season into two time periods if three zones are used; and

WHEREAS, The current set of options for state selection of zones and splits is not broad enough to address inequities in hunting opportunity caused by diverse physiographic characteristics and/or size among states; and

WHEREAS, Providing states with the option for four zones without split seasons would allow greater likelihood of satisfying hunters and accommodating hunter preferences; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to change federal rules to allow states the option to add a fourth duck zone without split seasons beginning in 2006; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Governor, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.