Jersey and Calhoun Counties Express Opposition To Great Rivers National Park Concept
JERSEY COUNTY - Several residents and their representatives have expressed opposition to an AltonWorks plan to establish a Great Rivers National Park, which includes land from Madison, Jersey, and Calhoun counties.
AltonWorks first announced their plans for the park in a November 2023 press release which emphasizes the projected economic benefits of a national park in the Riverbend region. Underscoring the local economic boost would be an increase in tourism to the area, which is now one of many concerns among locals.
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Residents React To AltonWorks Update
In an Oct. 10, 2024 Facebook post, AltonWorks announced they had met with the Alton Riverfront Commission about the project after reportedly meeting with “hundreds of people from across the region” over the previous nine months.
The optimistic tone of the company’s post stands in stark contrast to its comments section, where several Jersey and Calhoun residents overwhelmingly state they do not want a national park in their counties. Many others stated they were not aware of any prior meetings held in either county.
Among the concerns raised are the effects federal regulations would have on local hunting and fishing practices, though AltonWorks has claimed “fishing and hunting rights that are currently in place would be reserved when the legislation is written.”
AltonWorks has stated that “only state and federal lands” would be included in the national park.
Another source of concern is inadequate infrastructure, particularly narrow Calhoun County roads, which would be unable to accommodate an influx of tourists.
While exact dates and times have yet to be announced, AltonWorks assured commenters that “there will be many opportunities for community members to share their thoughts and ideas.”
Outside of Facebook, nearly 1,000 local residents have also signed a petition on Change.org to halt the proposed National Park.
Jersey County Board Opposes National Park Proposal
At their Oct. 8, 2024 meeting, the Jersey County Board voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing the creation of a National Park in the region.
County Board Chairman Gary Krueger said the board was trying to “get ahead of” the issue, as he hasn’t heard from a single resident in support of the plan.
“The main reason we voted for that was to try to get ahead of the deal,” Krueger said of the National Park concept. “If that thing gets rolling, it’ll be hard to stop it - and right now, the taxpayers, I haven’t had one person tell me they were for it.”
Krueger said several local tax dollars and donations have already gone into securing and maintaining these public lands, and it remains largely unclear how national and local regulations would clash on issues of hunting, fishing, and park maintenance.
“The biggest concern is giving up local control,” Krueger said of the lands proposed for the park. “Most of the residents are concerned about the rules - most of the National Park rules are more stringent, and you would have to probably buy a pass to do anything, they have hunting hours and different rules.
“Hunters and major corporations have donated money for wetlands conservation, as far as maintaining them and keeping it updated for hunting and fishing - and I don’t know if the National Parks service is in tune to that kind of stuff.
“All it’s going to encompass right now, if it happens, are all the state and federal lands in the area,” he added. “But I could foresee where, when you hop-scotch along the river, they would eventually want to own it all.”
Krueger did recall AltonWorks hosting a meeting about the National Park idea early this year with Riverbend mayors and other local officials at the Melvin Price Locks & Dam, but said Calhoun County representatives were not made aware of the meeting. He added that Jersey County officials have not been invited to meet with AltonWorks since.
“There’s a lot of questions that will come up - whether they have good answers for them, I don’t know,” Krueger said of AltonWorks. “On the surface, it sounds like we’ve got the federal government taking over.”
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