| Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
  Map of theU.S. state ofIllinois showing the location of Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area Show map of Illinois Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Franklin andJefferson Counties,Illinois,USA |
| Nearest city | Benton, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 38°06′22″N88°56′18″W / 38.10611°N 88.93833°W /38.10611; -88.93833 |
| Area | 3,300 acres (13.35 km2) |
| Established | 1975 |
| Governing body | Illinois Department of Natural Resources |
TheWayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area is a 3,300-acre (13.4 km²) state park borderingRend Lake nearBenton, Illinois.[1] The state park is managed by theIllinois Department of Natural Resources to concentrate on shoreline recreation, includingboating,fishing, andpicnicking.
After Rend Lake was completed by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1970, much of the land acquired by the Army Corps for dam and reservoir construction was available for open-space use. Starting in 1975, the Army Corps leased the Wayne Fitzgerrell parcel of land to the state of Illinois. The state park is named forWayne Fitzgerrell, a member of theIllinois House of Representatives from nearbyWayne County in the 70th through 74th General Assemblies. Fitzgerrell had been one of the local leaders who had called for the damming of theBig Muddy River and creation of Rend Lake.
Wayne Fitzgerrell was originally dedicated as a state park but changed its name in the 1990s to reflect its identity as a space managed forsportsmen. 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of the park is consciously managed for the hunting ofdeer, upland birds such aspheasants, and small game.
The park is a focus of public access to Rend Lake, which is managed for the fishing oflargemouth bass,bluegill,channel catfish, andcrappie.
Wayne Fitzgerrell is one of the few state parks in Illinois which is bisected by a limited-access highway,Interstate 57. Many visitors to the park use I-57's Exit 77, near the park's headquarters atWhittington, Illinois.
