IDNR Bringing Back Outdoor Illinois

Ever talk to an IDNR employee and feel like they could care less.  Maybe that's just people in general today.  Maybe, it has to do with the lack of money the agency has and they know the ideas won't go anywhere.  For awhile now the IDNR has been in the works of bringing back Outdoor Illinois.  They finally made their release announcing the comeback of this new online journal.

This is great news in the hunting, fishing and conservation world.  As outdoor enthusiasts this is a way for the IDNR to finally be able to release information on research studies, land and wildlife management and other updates. We look forward to seeing what information gets published and how this resource will improve the outdoors.

During our reporting and meeting people throughout the state over the years, we've heard people complain about how it's hard to find information and how there is a lack of a user friendly interface for the DNR website.  Illinois' has been lacking in transparency and upgrades. However, this is a great step to making the IDNR more user friendly and transparent.

Some of you might have received the email below:

Illinois Conservationist:

It is my pleasure to announce that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGGREC) to bring back Outdoor Illinois!  This time it is a wildlife-specific online journal that contains articles on Wildlife, People, Land, Research, and Recreation.  Please take a few moments to look through the site, and to visit our annual hunting forecasts (https://outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org/).  Right now, we have posted deer/turkey/squirrel and furbearer forecasts.  Upland game and waterfowl forecasts will be coming soon! There are plenty of other short articles to look at as well while you're there.  If you have ideas for Outdoor Illinois: Wildlife Journal, or areas that you think we need to provide more information on, please e-mail me at mark.alessi@illinois.gov and let me know.

To visit other websites regarding wildlife in Illinois, please visit our Living with Wildlife in Illinois (http://web.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/) and our White-tailed Deer: Illinois websites (https://deer.wildlifeillinois.org/).

Sincerely,

Mark Alessi
Chief
Division of Wildlife Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources