Whats going on in Illinois with the state parks and historic landmarks?|110105

I just caught a bit of it, that the state is closing a bunch of them down, including many sites connected to Abraham Lincoln? Is this a funding issue? Does someone know the inside scoop on this?

The state plans to close 11 state parks, including Kickapoo State Park, and 13 historical sites as a result of a $2 Billion state shortfall. They will also be laying off 73 employees, as described in the link below. Listed below are the sites they plan to close:

STATE HISTORIC SITES
�� Dana-Thomas House, Springfield
�� Lincoln log cabin near Charleston
�� David Davis mansion, Bloomington
�� Fort de Chartres, Randolph County
�� Vandalia statehouse
�� State center at Bishop Hill, Henry County
�� Carl Sandburg birthplace, Galesburg
�� Cahokia courthouse
�� Bryant Cottage, Bement
�� Jubilee College, near Peoria
�� Apple River Fort, Elizabeth
�� Fort Kaskaskia, Randolph County
�� Pierre Menard home, Randolph County

STATE PARKS
�� Castle Rock State Park, Oregon
�� Lowden State Park, Oregon
�� Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield
�� Illini State Park, Marseilles
�� Channahon Parkway State Park, Channahon
�� Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris
�� Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg
�� Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood
�� Moraine View State Park, Leroy
�� Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton
�� Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor
Source: Blagojevich administration The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Illinois_bud��

A spokesperson for the governor stated that the office had no choice but to make the budget cuts because of a faltering economy and an unbalanced state budget. Once entrances to state parks are barred on November 1, 2009 the public will no longer be allowed to enter the sites. Any member of the public entering the closed state parks after November 1 could be arrested and charged with trespassing.