Friday, November 21, 2008 9:53 PM CST
Group opts for status quo on lake hunting rules
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON — A subcommittee assigned to help resolve the waterfowl hunting controversy at Lake Mattoon will recommend no rule changes this year.
“The subcommittee I appointed last week will recommend to the advisory board Tuesday to ask the city council to not make any changes for this year because we’re in the midst of the hunting season,” Mattoon Public Works Advisory Board Chairman Merle Lowry said Friday morning.
Lowry said the subcommittee, which includes advisory board members Dean Coleman, Mark Cox, Dave Stapleton and Lowry, came to a consensus by phone calls in recent days. The Public Works Advisory Board was authorized by city commissioners to make recommendations on hunting at the lake.
The board offers recommendations, but the final decision on the issue rests with the city council.
Some hunters claim the current rules on duck blind designation favors a select few, while others say the current policy is fair with only 12 hunting blinds available on the lake southwest of Mattoon.
“It would be unfair to current blind holders to force them out of a blind now with what’s left in the hunting season,” said Lowry. “Next year, we will come up with rules and regulations that will be fair to all.”
Bruce Daniell, one of several hunters calling for a change in the regulations, disagreed with Lowry’s statement.
“To be honest that’s sticking with the status quo. The city leadership’s job is to right wrongs when they see them. It is unfair for a select few to be out there. To continue with something like that is unfair,” Daniell said.
Daniell said he and other hunters will attend the Public Works Advisory Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall. Discussions on the hunting issue have been conducted at three city council meetings during the past month.
Lowry has a long history with hunting at Lake Mattoon.
Decades ago, he was part of a committee that drafted duck hunting rules at Lake Mattoon. Rules covered blind locations, blind usage and other regulations in question today.
But adding to the debate is the fact that a copy of those rules cannot be found at City Hall, Lowry said. City officials acknowledged earlier this month the original rules were not available in any city files. That led to arguments when the city council offered rules that were described as the current rules for hunting on the lake.
“Mattoon has a history of losing these things,” Lowry said with a grin.
He said the subcommittee will not work from a vacuum due to the loss of the original rules. Hunters have submitted recommendations on different subjects ranging from hunter location distances to a lottery for awarding blind spots. Lowry said those will be considered by the subcommittee for its recommendation to city officials in coming months.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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