The number of muskrat houses per acre multiplied by the number trapped per house 
indicates a potential harvest of 0,78 muskrat per acre of water in Illinois River valley bottom- 
land lakes, At 1944-1947 prices, which averaged $2.72 per pelt, the income from muskrats 
averaged $2.12 per acre, Minks and raccoons yielded an additional but relatively low return 
per acre, 
TOTAL VALUES TO PUBLIC 
Values for public hunting and fishing, for commercial fishing, and for fur trapping 
of a typical bottomland lake in the Illinois River valley are recapitulated in table 11, As de- 
termined from available sources, the value of an acre of bottomland lake at 1944-1947 prices is 
about $26 per year, 
Table 11,--Per acre value to public of an average Illinois River 
bottomland lake; value based upon commercial fishing and fur trapping 
returns and expenditures by the public for duck hunting and angling, 
1944-1947. 
Source Value Per Acre 
Spring Lake, near Savanna, is not typical of Illinois bottomland lakes in that itis a 
national wildlife refuge partly open to hunting, is not subjectto overflow, and is northof converg- 
ing waterfowl flyway routes, Consequently, its fish are its major resource; they had a yearly 
acre-value to the public of $34,24, 1946-1947, table 12, With duck hunting included, the total 
value of Spring Lake to the public in those years was $39.54 per acre, 
Table 12,--Per acre value to public of Spring Lake, Savanna, IIli- 
nois; value based upon state fish restocking supply and expenditures by 
the public for duck hunting and angling, 
Source Value Per Acre 
Duckphuntin pens skeen eee eee $ 5.30 
Bit USA pe Saori thay tea oe: At 24,56 
Bish restockingyy eras teeta 9.68 
cl otal arate weet erate cece postecunaase $39.54 
20 
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