Chief’s Letter

Mike Wefer, Chief, Division of Wildlife Resources

The deep chill we experienced in January provided an unforgettable kick-off to 2025, but this is going to be a memorable year for a bigger reason—it is the centennial year for the establishment of what is now the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). A lot of changes have occurred on the Illinois landscape and regarding management of the state’s natural resources over the past century. We’re kicking the 2025 edition of OutdoorIllinois Journal off with an article setting the stage for a year celebrating the nature of Illinois.

The wild turkey is one of Illinois’ conservation success stories that will be featured this coming year. Eliminated from the state by 1910, reintroduction efforts that started in 1959 resulted in the opening of the modern turkey hunting season in 1970. Now, 55 years later, turkey hunting is an annual activity for thousands of hunters. A feature article details a regulation change to provide turkey hunting options for smaller-framed hunters, hunters with disabilities, and hunters who just want the extra challenge of taking turkeys at closer range. Another article provides a preview of the 2025 spring turkey hunting season.

Check out the OutdoorIllinois Journal story about the amazing discovery of the salamander mussel, which had not been collected alive in Illinois in more than a century. Technical advances, such as eDNA, directed researchers to a section of the Sangamon River, where in the fall of 2024 they slipped into the still waters of the river and began to blindly feel under cement slabs for this now state-endangered species. Locating a dozen individuals, the work proved that species thought to have been lost can be found again.

We also have not one but two articles on the federally endangered piping plover. One story celebrates the fact that this sand-colored shorebird nested in not one but two locations in Illinois in 2024. The second story takes us on a journey southward to learn where some of these birds are wintering.

It’s been nearly 200 years since the last wild bison roamed the Illinois landscape but today bison can be found in an enclosure at Nachusa Grasslands. Researchers are studying to learn how the plant and animal communities are responding to the presence of bison.

Pontiac Township High School students have been deeply involved in conservation projects for several years, including implementation of Illinois’ 30×30 America the Beautiful initiative. To learn more read the summary written by students entitled Voices for the Future: Everyone Can Make a Difference.

With spring just around the corner, it is time to organize your fishing gear so you’re ready when you hear that the fish are biting. This edition includes a story on the seasonal fishing instructors who are available to help new anglers learn fishing basics, an overview about what makes good aquatic habitat and tips for those interested in fly fishing for carp. Also be sure to check out the feature on Heidecke Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, a nearly 1,955-acre fishing hotspot that offers a variety of angling opportunities.

We’ve prepared even more for you in this edition of OutdoorIllinois Journal. Check out the stories about white-tailed deer, pie-billed grebes, Cooper’s hawks, smooth softshell turtles, and gray and fox squirrels. With balmy spring weather beckoning us to spend more time outdoors check out the article and refresh your knowledge of Lyme disease.

Spring is a great time for implementing new landscape projects and feature articles describe how Barb Heyen converted a 120-acre pasture to quail- and monarch-focused habitat, and the value of serviceberry as a landscape plant benefiting pollinators, birds and humans. Be sure to also check out the story on the process for rescuing native plant seeds and a summary of the research by the Prairie Rivers Network that has been documenting the effects of off-target herbicide exposure on Illinois’ plants and trees.

This is just the beginning of the storylines you can discover in this edition of OutdoorIllinois Journal.

OutdoorIllinois Journal is a collaborative effort led by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Divisions of Wildlife Resources, Natural Heritage and Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. Funding for OutdoorIllinois Journal was made available through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project W-147-T, the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund and the Fish Management Fund. 

Click on the “subscribe” button on the main page to ensure you receive notifications as additional OutdoorIllinois Journal postings are made. And follow us on Facebook (/livingwithwildlifeIllinois) and Instagram (@livingwithwildlifeIllinois).