Open Lands Trust to Create Public Hunting Ground in Illinois' Deer Capital

SPRINGFIELD - February 20, 2013. Governor Pat Quinn today announced acquisition of 547 acres of public land in four Illinois counties to boost public access for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and outdoor recreation. The $2.8 million in land purchases includes 410 acres in Pike County, a hallowed deer hunting region, and 71 acres in Hackmatack, the nation's newest National Wildlife Refuge. This acquisition is part of Governor Quinn's ongoing commitment to expand and preserve Illinois' natural resources and boost the economy.

The properties were acquired through the Illinois Open Lands Trust (OLT), which is funded by Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital program and allocated for public recreation and conservation purposes.

"Preservation of open space for future generations is a worthy goal, and hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation generate billions of dollars a year in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "Continuing to expand outdoor recreation areas and natural habitats such as Hackmatack are not only good for our economy, but also ensure that Illinois children can enjoy nature and lead a healthy lifestyle. Let's leave no child inside!'"

"Pike County is a tremendous deer hunting destination with virtually no public access. This acquisition will give hunters an opportunity to pursue white-tails in Illinois' deer capital," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller. "There is tremendous demand in Illinois for public access to open space and this purchase helps meet that demand."

The Pike County property includes extensive timber and upland areas with some tillable Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and pasture areas well-suited for public hunting programs. The newly acquired property will remain closed to the public while the IDNR continues development of a management plan, submits regulations for hunting and other recreation programs at the site, and installs public access areas.

The Pike County parcel - southwest of Pittsfield - was acquired for the appraised value of $1.8 million. Today's announcement includes acquisition of three other properties to expand public lands:

Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, McHenry County, 71.8 acres ($511,000) - The parcel was acquired to formally establish the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, the first refuge established in northern Illinois. The core areas of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge are rich in important natural resources, including rare and diverse natural communities, endangered and threatened species, wetlands, diverse aquatic systems and migratory birds. Eventually, the Hackmatack Refuge will improve or restore 11,000 acres of wetlands, prairie and forest, and will conserve habitat corridors between protected parcels to ensure sustainability of local ecological systems.

Expansion of Lowden-Miller State Forest, Ogle County, 64 acres ($450,000) - A 64-acre tract of land best known locally as the centerpiece of Sinnissippi Forest's former Christmas tree operation, has been added to Lowden-Miller State Forest. This acquisition will give the public better access to the easternmost portion of this resource which is named for Illinois Governor Frank Lowden, an advocate of reforestation who was responsible for planting a half-million trees.

"Twenty years ago, my late wife Nancy and I took great pleasure in the creation of Lowden-Miller State Forest, knowing that the people of Illinois would now be able to enjoy this magnificent part of the Rock River Valley," Warren Miller, former owner of the property said. "When we reluctantly closed our Christmas tree operation in 2010, it was my hope that this tract could be added to the State Forest. I am extremely pleased that we've finally been able to do so."

Expansion of Kickapoo State Recreation Area, Vermilion County, 0.94 acres ($25,000) - This parcel of land is located at the entrance to Kickapoo State Recreation Area adjacent to the Rock Cut Botanical Area, an Illinois Natural Areas Inventory site that supports some 40 species of sedge, a state-listed threatened grass-like plant.

Funds used to acquire these properties are through 2009 capital dollars appropriated for the Open Lands Trust Program, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Since the program was first authorized in 1998, the OLT has acquired 41,000 acres for public recreation and conservation.

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"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." -- Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau's thought mentioned only men, but a unique national program allows women who have experienced breast cancer to benefit from a fishing experience.

Casting for Recovery enhances the quality of life of women with breast cancer and survivors of breast cancer through fishing retreats designed to promote and support mental and physical healing.

The first Casting for Recovery Iowa retreat will be held October 11-13 and will take advantage of the fine Northeast Iowa trout streams near Decorah. Women with breast cancer and survivors are invited to apply for the free retreat.

Casting for Recovery retreats use counseling, medical education, and introduction and instruction in fly fishing to provide a healing opportunity for women of any age, or stage of treatment.

The typical schedule for retreats includes instruction in the basics of fly-fishing and casting, and how those are related to the recovery process of breast cancer, with a focus on quality of life skills.

"We hope women in the region who are making the journey with breast cancer will take advantage of this great opportunity to continue their healing while enjoying the calming influence of nature,'' said Sally Werner, executive director of the Genesis Cancer Care Institute, a sponsor of the Iowa retreat. "Casting For Recovery has an excellent record of lowering the concerns that are part of a breast cancer diagnosis.''

In 10 areas, including worry, fatigue, sadness or depression, and appearance, participants in Casting For Recovery events have overwhelmingly reported feeling more aware and accepting of their circumstances, and are better able to cope with their condition following their participation.

"The best thing about fishing may not be the fish at the end of the line. It may be the peace and the beauty of enjoying nature, especially with other people who have a shared cancer experience,'' Werner explained.

To apply for participation in the first Iowa Casting For Recovery retreat, go to www.castingforrecovery.org and search for the Iowa specific site on the left side of the home page. For the Iowa retreat, participation is limited to 14 residents of Iowa. Application deadline is Aug. 2.

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Tampa, Fla. (February 20, 2013) - Demonstrating innovative leadership in building science and property damage prevention, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is conducting the first-ever, full-scale indoor hailstorm at the world-class IBHS Research Center in South Carolina.

"IBHS is blazing a new trail in applied research - with ice and air cannons," said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. "Meticulously recreating hailstorms at the IBHS Research Center will enable our scientists to conduct a multi-faceted, first-of-its kind research initiative, exploring several aspects of building material and assembly performance that researchers have never been able to explore before."

Among the many unique aspects of IBHS hailstorms is the use of thousands of very highly realistic hailstones, which are painstakingly created by IBHS scientists. Dr. Tanya Brown, IBHS research engineer - and a meteorologist - uses a mixture of tap water and seltzer water to attain the appropriate shape, density and hardness that closely mimics hailstones produced by Mother Nature. This laboratory work is based on, and supplemented by, field research during which the IBHS team tracked several storms to gather extensive data on which to base hand-made hailstones.

Among the challenges facing IBHS researchers is the fact that - unlike size and density - there is no standard definition or measure for the compressive strength, or hardness, of hailstones.

"It makes sense that harder hailstones will cause more damage, but we need to explore that," says Dr. Brown. "To do that, we had to create a compressive force device, and it had to be portable enough to take into the field, where we could find and measure actual hailstones."

Research Center staff used a load cell (like those found in bathroom scales), vice, and balance to measure hailstone mass, and a caliper to measure stone dimensions. The vice was customized to include the load cell and was interfaced with a complex computer program to measure compressive force needed to crush different hailstones; they combined this data with GPS information about the location of where each hailstone fell in order to tie hail characteristics back to specific storm attributes.

Another distinctive aspect of IBHS laboratory work involved creating an effective system to properly deliver hailstones. After investigating numerous options, IBHS researchers determined there was no off-the-shelf solution. So, the engineers designed and built multi-barreled hail cannons, which they mounted on the Research Center catwalk, 60 feet above the test specimen house inside the center's massive test chamber.

"Creating hailstones and designing and building the hail cannons were two of the greatest challenges we faced," Dr. Brown said. "But, like every research project we undertake at IBHS, getting the science right is paramount. We thoroughly investigated many hailstone formulas and hailstone delivery prototypes to ensure our hailstorm capabilities provide the closest match possible to Mother Nature."

During the full-scale IBHS hailstorm, multi-barreled hail cannons deliver approximately 8,000 to 10,000 hailstones (with diameters of 1", 1.5" and 2") at up to 76 miles per hour. The cannons are aimed a 20 ft. by 20 ft. residential-style test specimen featuring different types of roofing and siding materials. In the first-ever demonstration of this capability, to simulate a common residential space, IBHS will place a car and typical outdoor furniture, toys, and accessories near the structure.

Key construction features of the home used in the demonstration, to illustrate different levels of performance in a hailstorm, include :

• Roofing - one plane of the roof is covered with standard, non-impact resistant 3-tab asphalt shingles; another plane is covered with impact-resistant architectural asphalt shingles. The other two planes of the roof is covered with standing seam metal roofing. In one case, the metal roofing is installed directly over the rood deck; in the other case, the metal roofing is installed over a layer of asphalt shingles - a common real world occurrence and one which may enable more hail damage.
• Exterior walls - two sides are covered in fiber-cement siding; the other two feature standard vinyl siding.
• Windows - both vinyl and aluminum windows are installed.
• Gutters - both aluminum gutters and downspouts are installed.

"We are interested in all types of materials that are used on the exterior of buildings. While there are impact-resistant standards for roofing materials, there are absolutely no such standards for siding or fenestration, such as doors and windows," Rochman said. "This is incredible, given the many millions of dollars consumers and insurers spend each year on repairing or replacing these materials. One of our goals is to advance development of such standards."

IBHS' hail research initiative also will:

• investigate the impact of aging on the performance of building materials when subjected to hail impacts;
• document differences between cosmetic and structural damage - and provide insights and guidance about best practices when it comes to evaluating, as well as repairing and replacing building components exposed to hail; and,
• help people who manage and evaluate different types of risk, including high winds and hail, to understand how various building materials, systems and types are vulnerable to hail damage.

Editor's note: IBHS has produced additional media assets for use with this story, including video and photos. To access and download extra assets please visit the IBHS Hailstorm Demonstration Resources page: http://www.disastersafety.org/research-center/hail-demo/#resources.

or via direct message on Twitter @jsalking.

for more information about how to make your buildings more resistant to a variety of disasters, big and small. Follow IBHS on Twitter at @DisasterSafety and on

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About the IBHS - IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific research and communications organization supported by the property insurance industry. The organization works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other risks on residential and commercial property by conducting building science research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparedness practices.

WASHINGTON, DC ? In a 9-0 decision in Florida v. Harris, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that police may use drug-sniffing dogs to carry out warrantless searches during routine traffic stops. Citing studies raising serious doubts about the reliability and training of drug detection dogs, The Rutherford Institute had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to declare the practice of using drug detection dogs as the sole basis for warrantless searches unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. Published scientific studies show that drug dog alerts are wrong as much as 56% of the time, and are heavily influenced by the biases of the dog's handler.

"This ruling undercuts the entire basis of the Fourth Amendment, which was designed to protect us from unreasonable searches and seizures," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "When dog sniffs, which have proven to be unreliable, are considered probable cause for police to search your property without a warrant?whether it's your home, your car or your person?then none of our rights are secure."

In June 2006, a Florida county sheriff stopped a vehicle driven by Clayton Harris for an expired license tag. When Harris refused the sheriff's request for consent to search the vehicle, a drug-detection dog was deployed and conducted a "free air sniff" of the exterior of the vehicle. When the dog alerted to the door handle on the driver's side, the officer conducted a warrantless search of the interior of the vehicle and found materials used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Harris was arrested and charged. However, before trial, Harris' attorneys moved to suppress the evidence found as a result of the search of his vehicle, asserting that the search violated the Fourth Amendment. At the suppression hearing, the state introduced evidence that the dog had gone through training and was certified for drug detection, but presented no specific evidence documenting the dog's overall performance nor records of the dog's false alerts. In fact, Harris presented evidence that the dog had alerted to the same vehicle two months after his arrest, but a search of the vehicle revealed no illegal drugs. The trial court denied the motion to suppress, but the Florida Supreme Court granted the motion on appeal, ruling that evidence that the dog has been trained and certified to detect narcotics, standing alone, is not sufficient to establish the dog's reliability for purposes of determining probable cause. The court held that the state has the burden of showing the officer had a reasonable basis for believing the dog was reliable by presenting evidence on matters such as training field performance records.

In asking the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm the lower court's ruling, The Rutherford Institute documented empirical research showing dog alerts are not inherently reliable. One recent study at the University of California?Davis, showed that in a test where handlers were told drugs might be found at the test site, but no drugs were present, dogs gave false positive alerts an astonishing 85% of the time. The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on a related case, Florida v. Jardines, which challenges the use of drug-sniffing dogs by police to carry out warrantless searches of private homes. The Rutherford Institute also filed an amicus brief in Florida v. Jardines.

This Press Release is also available at www.rutherford.org