MAKANDA - Budget cuts by Gov. Rod Blagojevich are threatening Southern Illinois' state parks and could force some to close unless funding is restored, a group of activists and lawmakers said Tuesday.

Similar gatherings took place at parks across the state including those near Decatur and Alton as park advocates rallied to raise awareness about what the $14 million hit could mean for the state's parks.

The cuts are set to take effect Thursday.

Closures, lost educational opportunities, decreased tax revenues for surrounding communities and harm to native plants and animals topped a laundry list of complaints leveled by members of the group gathered under a pavilion at Giant City State Park.

Among the group was State Rep. Mike Bost, a Murphysboro Republican, and former Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney of Carbondale.

After being introduced, Bost drew a laugh from the crowd, and Whitney, when he noted how odd it was to see the two on the same side of an issue.

The fact that he and Whitney, typically polar opposites politically, could stand together on the matter of the cuts is an indicator of how important the matter is, Bost said.

"Many people here disagree on many issues but we don't disagree on this one," he said.

Bost went on to say state parks are another victim of a state budget that is being held hostage by petty infighting. Specifically, Bost took aim at Blagojevich and House Speaker Mike Madigan, both Chicago Democrats, as being the root cause of the problem.

"The only thing that's going to change this is for the people to demand a change," Bost said.

Whitney said state parks serve pivotal roles as both biological preserves and as magnets for tourist dollars.

"Everyone in this state has heard of Giant City State Park; it's a beautiful facility," Whitney said. "Canoeing, kayaking, hunting, all of those things people from other areas come to Southern Illinois to do - and they spend money while they are here."

School teacher and Sierra Club member Ruth Hoak said she has tried to incorporate botany into her classes as much as possible. The cuts, and any subsequent loss of service or access, would send the wrong message, said Hoak, who has lived in Southern Illinois for decades.

"We are already not teaching wildlife as well as we should," she said. "I have a firm belief in teaching kids what's in their own backyards."

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com