Canal group is ready to fight

SHEFFIELD — Gov. Rod Blagojevich appears to have a fight on his hands when it comes to his proposed closing of the Hennepin Canal Parkway. Pat Stier, secretary/treasurer for the Friends of the Hennepin Canal, said about 50 people attended Wednesday night’s board meeting to show their support of the canal and their opposition to Blagojevich’s decision to close 11 state parks, including the 100-mile Hennepin Canal Parkway.

Stier said there were a wide range of individuals represented at the board meeting, including farmers, others who lived along the canal, a bait shop owner, equestrians, hikers and bikers, drainage district people, and even a dog sled person.

The Friends of the Canal Board is encouraging people to write letters to their legislators, to Illinois Department of Natural Resources representative Chris McCloud and to Blagojevich in support of keeping the canal open. The more letters, the better, Stier said.

Also, petitions have already begun circulating to get the park funding reinstated to the Department of Natural Resources budget, Stier said. The Friends of the Hennepin Canal Web site has petitions available. Also, the Save Our Canal group will have petitions available during the Homestead Festival, in front of the Prouty Community Building in Princeton, Stier said.

Keeping open the Hennepin Canal Parkway is important for several reasons, Stier said.

That first reason is the economic factor. There are a lot of people who come from as far away as Chicago to fish along the canal. Those people buy gas for their vehicles, food from area restaurants and stores, bait and tackle, fishing licenses, and may even stay overnight in the area, Stier said.

Also, the Hennepin Canal Parkway is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The canal is part of the Illinois Grand Bike Trail and the American Discovery Trail, which runs coast to coast. The 100 year-old canal is one of the few canals in the country that still has water in it. A lot of hard work and money have been put into preserving the canal, she added.

Another reason for keeping open the canal is because it provides a great place of recreation where area individuals and families can go without spending a lot of money, Stier said.

In a Web site statement, Friends of the Hennepin Canal President Gary Wagle called the planned closing of the Hennepin Canal a sad event taking place because the parkway has become a pawn in a power struggle between political factions in the Illinois government.

“Closing the canal parkway will end the life of the canal. At 100 years of age, the Hennepin Canal is a delicate, living structure, and without diligent maintenance, it will die,” Wagle said.

 “The scenario is easy to see. Without continual monitoring of the levies and water levels, a breach is certain to occur and the water will spill into neighboring fields and rivers. Without maintenance, the corridor will become infested by litter, a dumping ground for those who don’t care.

“And like a neglected old house that has been allowed to decline, it will be too expensive to repair. Whatever happens after that, we know that a wonderful piece of history, a valuable recreational site and a natural ecosystem will be gone.”

Shutting off the water supply source at Rock Falls could prevent an eventual broken levy or plugged aqueduct, but shutting off the water, even temporarily, would result in a fish kill and deterioration hard to imagine, Wagle said.

“We have called our canal a jewel, hidden in the fields of the northern prairie,” Wagle said. “It is old. It is fragile. Its history is a product of luck, some wise decisions, and a great deal of love. In the truest sense of the word, it would be a tragedy if this unique ribbon of green is allowed to die.”