
Page eight. 
TALES FROM A BIRD-FEEDER-_ Gov. Richard Ogilvie has signed bills to create a new park 
in Perry County. The 2,524 acre park on abandoned strip mines, will be known as the | 
Pyramid state park. It will be one of the largest parks in the state system. He also 
announced that 15,000 acres of recreation land have been closed to the public because 
of vandalism, litter, etc... President Raymond Mostek of IAS has asked Ellen Hopkins 
of 431 S. New St., Springfield, Ill. to be the official IAS "observer" at the Conser- 
vation Advisory Board Meetings...The US Army Corps of Engineers has up to now, failed 
to accept the agreement made by the state, the City of Decatur, and the University of 
Illinois to modifications of the proposed Oakley Dam to protect Allerton Park. It is 
hoped that with the passing of Sen, Everett Dirksen, who was one of the sponsors of 
the Oakley Dam, that Sen. Charles Percy who belongs to a newer generation, will heed 
the requests of the conservationists, and strike up a note for preservation of the 
famous park...State officials in Indiana have been receiving heavy mail to preserve 
the state's famed Big Walnut Creek. Sen. Vance Hartke has urged that the US Corps of 
Engineers re-consider plans... A crowded hearing room in Chicago was the scene of 
statements by Illinois citizens representing many civic clubs over state air pollu- 
tion standards. Mayor Daley was severely condemned for relaxing standards and grant- 
ing delays to the Commonwealth Edison Co. The firm is the heaviest user of coal’ in 
the city, consuming 3,900,000,000 tons a year. This results in 234,000 tons of sul- 
pher dioxide into Chicago's air. A 1968 ordinance has been ignored by the firm. 
CITIZENS CRUSADE FOR CLEAN WATER 

A bi-partisan group of congressmen, led by Cong. 
John Dingell of Michigan, has pledged itself to work 
for increased appropriations for water pollution con- 
trol. Although Congress authorized a billion dollars 
when it passed the comprehensive Water Pollution Act 
of 1966, the President has only budgeted $214 million 
for this purpose. The 1966 law encouraged states to 
undertake ambitious programs and promised federal as- 
sistance with the job; now it appears that under the 
Nixon administration, the funds will not be okayed. 
So far, 162 House members have indicated they'll 
support more funds for pollution control, but 219 are 
needed for passage. 
Illinois congressmen who have not yet announced for 
the billion dollar appropriation to help clean up the 
nations! filthy streams are : Cong. Edward Derwinski, 
Dan Rostenkowski, Harold Collier, Roman Pucinski, Mrs. 
Charlotte Reid, John Anderson, Leslie Arends, Robert 
McClory, John Erlenborn, Robert Michel, Thomas Rails- 
back, Paul Findley, William Springer and George Ship- 
ley. Most of the above are Republicans and appear to 
be supporting Nixon on the issue of less funds. 
If your congressman is on the above list, you may 
wish to express your views to him on this subject. 
The Citizens Crusade for Clean Water is Composed of 
the National Audubon Society, League of Women Voters, 
US Conference of Mayors, AFL-CIO, National League of 
Cities, United Auto Workers, and Natl. Wildlife Fed. 
While the Congress claims no funds are available, 
the US Senate just voted $500,000,000 for a single 
nuclear submarine, - about the same amount needed to 
clean up the stinking Potomac River. 

ILLINOIS RECEIVES A 293 
ACRE GIFT FOR A STATE PARK 
Springfield—John M. Olin, Alton, 
honorary chairman of the board of 
the Olin Corp., has donated 293 acres 
of land near Alton to the Illinois De- 
partment of Conservation. Director 
William L. Rutherford, who an- 
nounced the gift, said Olin has agreed 
to hold the land and pay the real 
estate taxes on it, alleviating the 
problem of obtaining funds for the 
present development of the area, 
Rutherford said. 
Much of the property is in virgin 
timber with a magnificent view of the 
Mississippi and Missouri rivers, Ruth- 
erford continued. But the area will not 
be open to the public until develop- 
ment has been completed and funds 
for maintenance and supervision are 
available. 
On Feb. 19 the gifts of 4,000 acres 
of land from the Commonwealth Edi- 
son Co. and 3,200 acres from the 
Forest Park Foundation of Peoria 
were announced. Since then more than 
one million dollars in land and cash 
have been given to the Department of 
Conservation, Rutherford said. In- 
cluded in this total are Olin’s gift and 
funds contributed for the purchase of 
Goose Lake Prairie in Grundy County. 
“This illustrates the public aware- 
ness of our tremendous need for more 
land for conservation, state parks and 
outdoor recreation,” Rutherford said. 
“It also illustrates the practicality of 
a close relationship between a con- 
cerned citizen and his government.” 
Rutherford said that in the ten- 
year period ending June 30, 1968, the 
state had spent $6.2 million for land 
for state parks and _ conservation 
areas, an average of about six cents 
per citizen per year. By way of con- 
trast, two counties in Maryland ad- 
joining the District of Columbia spent 
$42 million from local real estate 
taxes for park lands. 

