Camping and Hunting

The newest in Fee increases

Natural Resources / Camping on DNR Properties - 32 Ill Reg 02653

Imposes a new $5/vehicle waste dumping fee for RV’s and camping trailers not camping on DNR property. Also increases the utility fee at Class AA through Class E camping sites and Rent-A-Camp Cabins at Class A and Class A Premium sites from $5 to $10 (a 100% increase). Depending upon the Class of a site, the camping fee for Class AA, Class A and Class A Premium sites are increased from $10 or $15 to $20 or $25 per night for the Memorial Day, Labor Day and Fourth of July weekends or holiday periods – a 67% to 100% increase, respectively.

Natural Resources / White-Tailed Deer Hunting by Use of Firearms - 32 Ill Reg 02662

Increases the non-resident deer hunting permit fee (either sex or antlered) from $250 to $300 (é20%); for non-resident landowner/tenants either sex permit from $100 to $150 (é50%); and for either sex permits for non-resident shareholders, members, partners or beneficiaries from $100 to $150 (é50%).

Natural Resources / White-Tailed Deer Hunting by Use of Bow and Arrow - 32 Ill Reg 02699

Increases the cap on out-of-state combination archery deer permit sales from 20,000 to 25,000 statewide. Also increases the non-resident combination deer hunting permit fee (either sex or antlered) from $365 to $400 (é10%); and for either sex permits for non-resident landowners, shareholders, members, partners or beneficiaries from $150 to $200 (é33%).

Campers surprised by fee hikes

Daily Review Atlas

Campers arriving at state sites last Friday were treated to an unwelcome surprise. Unbeknownst to many, camping fees had increased without much fanfare. Sites with electrical service cost $5 more. And there's a new $10 fee for premium weekends. If you missed that news you were not alone. Site staff at the Department of Natural Resources' 74 campgrounds were not officially informed of the increases until late last week, either.

New RV and Camping Trailer Fee!

Recently a rule was passed which imposes new and increased fees for camping on Department of Natural Resource (DNR) Properties.

This rulemaking imposes a new $5 per vehicle waste dumping fee for RV’s and camping trailers not camping on DNR property. It also increases the utility fee at Class AA through Class E camping sites and Rent-A-Camp Cabins at Class A and Class A Premium sites from $5 to $10 (a 100% increase). Depending upn the Class of a site, the camping fee for Class AA, Class A and Class A Premium sites are increased from $10 or $15 to $20 or $25 per night for the Memorial Day, Labor Day and Fourth of July weekends or holiday periods – a 67% to 100% increase, respectively.

Camping fee increase a surprise for some

Parairie State Outdoor

By: Jeff Lampe

Campers arriving at state sites last Friday were treated to an unwelcome surprise.

Unbeknownst to many, camping fees had increased without much fanfare. If you missed that news you were not alone.

Site staff at the Department of Natural Resources’ 74 campgrounds were not officially informed of the increases until late last week, either.

Incompetent cloak of King Blago's reign

By: Jeff Lampe

Journal Star

May 29, 2008

Campers arriving at state sites last Friday were treated to an unwelcome surprise.

Unbeknownst to many, camping fees had increased without much fanfare. Sites with electrical service cost $5 more. And there's a new $10 fee for premium weekends. If you missed that news you were not alone.

Costly camping

Fees for state campgrounds increased

By: Amber Russell

The Telegraph

ALTON - Don Butler loves to head out on the open road in his camper and spend his summer days at outdoor parks and campgrounds. But this year, he is both excited and frustrated about his upcoming travels.

Beginning this weekend, Butler and thousands of other Illinois residents who love the outdoors will pay almost double the amount they did last year to camp at premium sites at state campgrounds.

Department of Agriculture Fee Increases

There are a number of fee increases being proposed by the administration that will affect agribusiness. These fees were raised in the past as recently as 2004. The fear is that the revenues from these fee increases will simply be swept as they have in the past.

Proposed Dept. of Agriculture fee increases- Page 1

Proposed Dept. of Agriculture fee increases- Page 2

Governor's threats, fund raids are

wrong way to close gap

Bloomington Pantagraph

Editorial Board

Illinois government continues to operate in near-crisis mode - with nearly each day presenting a new economic peril and another program in jeopardy.

Within the past two weeks, we have been told grants could be held up for University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service and universities might have to cut millions of dollars from their budgets to meet the gap in the current budget. Funding for early childhood and secondary education also could be threatened.

Fee Sweeps

Government raising a Fee for a special purpose on a specific constituency or user [i.e.: camping fees or nursing home licensing fees] when it really doesn't need the money for that purpose is bad enough, but when government then says there is "extra money" in those specific accounts and takes some of it for general spending, that is wrong.

See the list of Funds that are being Swept, the dollar amounts, where the money comes from, what the money is supposed to be used for and what groups are directly affected

The list is comprised of funds swept by the Blagojevich Administration from July 1, 2003 through December 31, 2006. The funds raided directly hurt the constituency who paid into those funds. For example, the Underground Storage Tank Fund receives monies from Underground Storage Tank Registration Fees which are paid by petroleum providers, gas station owners and consumers indirectly and is meant to pay for clean up of problematic Underground Storage Tanks. Therefore, when funds are taken from that account for other purposes, the businesses and consumers who paid into the fund have an argument about why they should be paying that much of a Fee to begin with.

One would expect camping Fees and boat registration Fees to be spent on campground maintenance and water safety programs and not taken for general spending. If there is enough money in the accounts that the Fee was levied for, Government should not raise the Fee with the intent to take it away for other purposes.

Examples of accounts that money was taken from and used for other purposes are: Teacher Certification Fund, Fire Fighter’s Memorial Fund, and Long-Term Care Monitor/Receiver Fund.

	Collegiate Plates Fund Swept
Illinois State University

In Illinois, we have a series of 'specialty license plates'. Supporters of specific colleges pay a premium to have a specific college logo on their license plate. The premium is suppose to go to scholarships for the designated school.

The Administration swept funds from this 'Collegiate License Plate Scholarship Fund' and moved them to the general spending fund. CLA strongly objects to this type of action! The purchasers of Collegiate Plates are paying a premium; they are assuming the extra funds are going for scholarships to their endorsed college.

If you know someone who has a collegiate plate, you might want to let them know what is really happening. This action is another example of government taking funds from dedicated accounts and using them for other purposes.


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