The environmental group River Rescue announces two news conferences and meetings, both open to the public

To call attention to efforts to save Peoria Lakes from island building, the group will hold a hula hoop-a-thon from 10:00 a.m. until dusk on Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Liberty Park Pavilion on the Peoria Riverfront.

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the group will meet at 5:00 p.m. at the Liberty Park Pavilion and march to the Hotel Pere Marquette to present petitions with more than 1,600 signatures to Lt.Gov. Sheila Simon and the US Army Corps of Engineers asking them to stop the island building in Peoria Lake.

Simon and Corps officials are scheduled to attend a 6:30 p.m. public forum of the Illinois River Coordinating Council on Oct. 4, part of the 13th Biennial Governor’s Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System taking place Oct. 4-6 at the Pere Marquette, 501 Main, Peoria.

WHY? Almost $10 million in taxpayer funds have already been spent building one island north of the McClugage Bridge, at a cost of $1 million per job created. Many more, larger islands are being planned which will turn Peoria Lake into a wooded river barge channel, ruining the lake forever. This boondoggle must stop now.

All citizens interested in the future of Peoria Lake are invited to attend these events.