OAKWOOD — It's December, and Kickapoo State Park is still open.

Last August, 11 Illinois state parks — including Kickapoo in neighboring Vermilion County — were slated to be closed Nov. 1 for budgetary reasons, along with 13 Illinois historic sites. That date was later pushed back to Nov. 30.

By mid-November, when the Online Gargoyle reported about the impact of the impending closure through the eyes of Uni alum Tod Satterthwaite (Class of 1971), Kickapoo was still scheduled to be shut down by the end of the month.

But Kickapoo was recently spared when Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a supplemental appropriations bill that included $2.1 million designated by lawmakers to keep open the 11 targeted parks.

However, Blagojevich said the poor economy had made it possible to save only four of the parks: Kickapoo, Gebhard Woods in Morris, Channahon Parkway in Channahon and Hennepin Canal Parkway in Sheffield.

The remaining seven parks and all 13 of the historic sites are closed.

"The closing of this many parks is unprecedented in our state's history, and it shouldn’t be happening," said Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jonathan Goldman in a statement published on the IEC's Web site. "Illinois lawmakers made it clear when they passed the appropriations and sweeps bills that $2.1 million was to be used to prevent all the park closures and layoffs."

Some of the four surviving parks were selected on the basis of their trail access and other recreational options. Each park represents one of the Department of Natural Resources regional types that were impacted by the initial closure plan.

The seven parks that have closed are:

• Castle Rock State Park, Oregon
• Lowden State Park, Oregon
• Illini State Park, Marseilles
• Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg
• Moraine View State Park, LeRoy
• Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton
• Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor

The threatened closure of Kickapoo inspired a grassroots opposition movement that included online petitions, Facebook groups, and lobbying of lawmakers.

In September, both the Illinois House and Senate passed supplemental appropriations bills containing funds to save the parks, but the governor didn't take final action until Nov. 20.