Spring Lake Park (Illinois)

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Spring Lake Park is a public park located in Macomb, Illinois. The park is home to 230-acre (0.93 km²) Spring Lake, areas for camping, and three mountain bike trails.^[1] Spring Lake is the fresh water reservoir for the city of Macomb^[2], and is noted for superb bass fishing that draws several regional fishing tournaments^[3].

[edit] Cougar sightings

Cougars disappeared from Illinois sometime during the 19th century. Since July 2000, two dead cougars have been discovered along the state’s western border, while so-called cougar sightings have been widespread throughout the state. In 2006, several area residents claimed to have seen cougars in the Spring Lake Park area, in one case stalking native white-tailed deer. Melissa Roberts, a biology student at nearby Western Illinois University, discovered tracks and other evidence that may point to the presence of a big cat in the area. Biology professor Dr. Michael Romano claims that the tracks did indeed appear feline, though the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has stated that without definitive scientific verification, no action would be taken on the sightings. ^[4]

[edit] References

^ Spring Lake Bike Trails. Macomb Park District. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
^ Macomb-area recreational activities. Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
^ Crain, Johnnie. "Spring Lake offers big bags of bass". ESPN Fishing and Hunting News. Retrieved April 3, 2007.
^ Mohr, Jonathan. "Cougar on the prowl? WIU students finds suspicious tracks in Spring Lake vicinity." Macomb Eagle. October 6, 2006. Archived at YowieHunters.com, retrieved April 4, 2007.