Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Resolution

Information Bulletin #34
Natural Resources Commission
(Published in the Indiana Register on November 1, 2002, at 26 IR 577)

RESOLUTION OF THE INDIANA NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION ENDORSING THE BIODIVERSITY RECOVERY PLAN FOR NORTHWEST INDIANA

WHEREAS, the Biodiversity Recovery Plan is the result of five years of assessment and planning by the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council (Northeastern Illinois, Northwestern Indiana, and Southeastern Wisconsin), also known as Chicago Wilderness; and

WHEREAS, the plan identifies the ecological communities of the region, assesses their condition, identifies the major factors affecting them and provides recommendations for actions needed to restore and preserve them into the future in a sustainable condition; and

WHEREAS, the Biodiversity Recovery Plan is a tool that provides general direction and illustrates the types of actions that can be taken to conserve biodiversity; and

WHEREAS, the Biodiversity Recovery Plan is a blueprint for action and a reference source and not a set of mandates; and

WHEREAS, the Biodiversity Recovery Plan is a representation of a regional consensus on the most important ways to further biodiversity conservation; and

WHEREAS, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is an essential partner in the effort to protect nature; and

WHEREAS, the Commission and the Department of Natural Resources support the goal of the Biodiversity Recovery Plan, which is, "to protect the natural communities of the Chicago Region and to restore them to long-term viability, in order to enrich the quality of life of its citizens and to contribute to the preservation of global biodiversity.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Indiana Natural Resources Commission that the Department of Natural Resources accept the Biodiversity Recovery Plan as a policy tool for protection of biodiversity in the region; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Natural Resources is encouraged to work with the Chicago Region Biodiversity Council and its partner organizations to:

• Develop strategies to help protect our remaining natural heritage
• Help coordinate efforts between government agencies, organizations, and other jurisdictions
• Participate in workshops and other activities to foster the Biodiversity Recovery Plan and to help educate the public on the value of the Biodiversity Recovery Plan as a tool for regional conservation of biodiversity

Duly adopted by the Indiana Natural Resources Commission at South Bend, Indiana on September 24, 2002.