A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.
Learn more about national wildlife refuge in west central Illinois. The charges were contained in a six-count information presented today in U.S. District Court in Springfield, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Attorneys Office. The men are charged with violations of the Lacey Act, National Wildlife Refuge Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
B. Frank Daniels, 48, and Joseph W. Daniels, 23, are accused of illegally shooting and possessing a trophy white-tailed deer in December 1993 on the Delair District of Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge, located in Pike County along the Mississippi River. Both men were charged with violations of the Lacey Act for the illegal killing. The Lacey Act prohibits the transport of illegally taken wildlife on national wildlife refuges. In addition, the men were charged with trespassing onto the national wildlife refuge and killing migratory birds during closed season.
According to Timothy Santel, Special Agent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the charges against the pair stem from a 30-month undercover operation, called Operation ESOX, that was carried out by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The undercover operation, which concluded in March 1998, included operation of a taxidermy business in Pleasant Hill by a Conservation Police Officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources who documented numerous state and federal wildlife law violations committed by area residents.
Santel said the undercover operation which resulted in the charges against the Daniels also led to federal charges against seven other Illinois men for violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, ranging from illegal hunting methods and hunting out of season to falsifying records and killing overlimits of waterfowl. Those issued notices of violations include Jeffrey McKinnon, 23, Nebo; Victor Padavic, 56, Pleasant Hill; Greg Webel, 35, Pittsfield; Nathan Winchell, 21, Pleasant Hill; Matthew Howland, 22, Pleasant Hill; James Johnston, 20, Pleasant Hill; and Richard Howland, 20, Pleasant Hill.
Santel said the Delair unit of Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge was a prime target for illegal hunting activity because the refuge supports a large number of trophy bucks. Each year at Delair, we find headless deer carcasses left behind by poachers seeking trophy antlers. We want people to know that we will not tolerate this kind of exploitation on national wildlife refuges, Santel said. He noted that the investigation was prompted by citizen complaints about illegal hunting activity in Pike and Calhoun counties.
The Lacey Act and the National Wildlife Refuge Act each carry penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and/or one year in prison. Violators of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act face fines of up to $5,000 and/or 6 months in prison.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
