fee OU Da BONS BU ois beri. N D 
One of the speakers was Mr. Thurman, an engineer, who spoke of the 
growth in the numbers of visitors to Illinois State Parks, and the prob- 
lems of providing drinking water, roads, picnic areas, parking lots, and 
sanitary facilities. There are sixty-five state-owned parks, comprising 
26,000 acres. Only New York exceeds Illinois in the number of visitors to 
state parks; Illinois ranks fifth among the states in the amount of money 
spent for state parks. An admission fee of ten cents per person and ten 
cents per car is charged during the busy season at seven of the parks. The 
collections from July to October in 1953 and from April to October in 1954 
amounted to $133,000; cost of collecting the fee was $34,000. People in the 
Chicago area appreciate the resurfacing of the old entrance road to Illinois 
Beach State Park and the new entrance from the north boundary. This 
should relieve the traffic congestion and keep people interested in picnics 
and swimming from crowding into the nature area of the park. Overnight 
and hotel accommodations are now provided at Starved Rock, Pere Mar- 
quette, and White Pines. Mississippi Palisades has a new picnic area. A 
shelter has been built at Buffalo Rock. These were only a few of the projects 
enumerated. 
On Saturday morning Dr. Harlow B. Mills, Chief of the State Natural 
History Survey, gave the keynote address. He said the Illinois Conservation 
Council is one of the most significant developments in Illinois Conservation. 
There is unity in the goals of each organization represented and coopera- 
tion will produce almost unbelievable results. Population growth is crowd- 
ing more people into smaller space, and the resulting stresses produce more 
mental illness. Outdoor recreation relieves such stress; state parks provide 
an outlet for many. There should be an acre of park land for each 100 
people. At present, Illinois has 40,000 acres in Forest Preserves, 57,000 
acres in the Department of Conservation, and 26,000 acres in the Division 
of Parks and Memorials, a total of 123,000 acres. It should have at least 
187,000 acres. Dr. Mills feels that progress is being made. 
Mr. Royal B. McClelland, Executive Secretary of the Illinois Federation 
of Sportsmen’s Clubs, was moderator for the panel discussion dealing with 
water problems. It was pointed out that the water table is lower and many 
cities have suffered alarming shortages of water. Illinois now has 20,000 
acres of irrigated land, chiefly in the north. Water pollution is a growing 
problem. It is not satisfactory to use the same pond or lake for recreation 
and for fishing. Recreation requires a stable water level; fluctuation of level 
produces better fishing. It is predicted that treatment and reuse of water 
in some streams may soon make the water temperature rise to the extent 
that the streams will no longer be suitable for fish. Reforestation of water- 
sheds is imperative. There must be a coordinated, state-wide water policy. 
The Saturday afternoon program was devoted to problems of various 
groups. Mrs. Paul LaRose gave a brief history of Illinois Beach State Park. 
It contains a variety of flowers, some found nowhere else in Illinois. Ten 
years ago a group of far-seeing people organized the Illinois Dunesland 
Preservation Society, and through their efforts, the park was established 
with the understanding that part of the 1400 acres would be used for rec- 
reation and the rest set aside for the preservation of wildlife. Constant 
vigilance is required to protect the nature area. Most recently, the owner 
