The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announces management changes at the Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area.
About 26 hundred acres at Eckert's Woods and Speaker Lake will be returned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for wildlife management efforts. The Department also plans to demolish the bridge at the Woods due to flooding, age, natural deterioration, and the bridge preventing the creek’s flow.
The management change aims to better focus the department’s limited funds on areas protected by the existing levee and water control system. It will also allow the Corps of Engineering to focus on rehabilitation efforts to make the area more manageable.
The management transfer is set for the end of the 2024 to 2025 waterfowl season. Current hunting and fishing regulations will remain to ensure as little disruption as possible to outdoor activities.
