Illinois' Recreational Use of Land and Water Areas Act

[Mike Clifford]

I just looked up this law last week as I hadn't heard any news about it in a long time, and mistakenly thought the old wording had been put back in.

Judging by this article, apparently that isn't the case.

 

What a crock of B.S.

 

http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index....ughta_be_a_law/

 

Back in June of 2005, legislators amended the Recreational Use act to provide limited liability for landowners who allow hunting or recreational shooting on their property at no cost. Unfortunately — due to back-room wheeling and dealing orchestrated largely by trial lawyers — many other recreational activities were omitted at the last minute.

 

That’s why there’s currently no limited liability for Illinois landowners who allow fishing, conservation activities, hiking, birdwatching, trapping, rock climbing, horseback riding, swimming, boating, camping, sledding, snowmobiling or even picnicking.

 

Attempts to extend liability protection to those activities have stalled for the past two years. That even though most Illinois representatives agree this is a no-brainer and despite the fact more than 40 other states have similar legislation.

[skjordan]

due to back-room wheeling and dealing orchestrated largely by trial lawyers

 

Once again greed rules instead of the right thing to do.

[Norm M]

Illinois - Land of Lawyers

[Mike Clifford]

SURVEY OF ILLINOIS LAW: THE LATEST TWIST

ON THE ILLINOIS RECREATIONAL USE OF LAND

AND WATER AREAS ACT: CLAMPING DOWN ON

LANDOWNER IMMUNITIES

http://www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu/legal/articles...cUseAct_SIU.pdf

 

Page 25 of the document:

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Accordingly, in a future legislative session, the

Illinois General Assembly should again amend the Recreational Use

Act and re-adopt the general definition of recreational or conservation

purpose. This will preempt the difficult and never-ending challenge of

legislatively developing a list of specific activities that constitute

recreational and conservation use worthy of the Act’s support. If the

legislature fails to amend the statute, much of Illinois’ privately-owned

lands with high recreational potential will remain closed to others, and

former users of rural open-space for recreational or conservation

activities, other than hunting and shooting, will be forced onto limited

and already saturated public lands.

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1% of land in Illinois is publicly available for recreational purposes.

 

In speaking with someone close to the subject a couple years ago, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association was brought up often in the conversation.

I'm not going to make any assumptions here without knowing the facts exactly, but it is intriguing.