Section 520.20  Requirements and Application

Any person who wishes to take, rehabilitate or salvage Illinois fauna for scientific or educational purposes must obtain and possess a valid scientific permit from the Department of Natural Resources (Department).

a)         To be eligible for a scientific permit for scientific study the applicant must be:

1)         18 years of age; and

2)         Engaged in scientific study which may include, but is not limited to, research for species conservation and education, and data collection by organized citizen groups.  Organized citizen groups are defined as members of the general public who collect and analyze data relating to the natural world as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.

b)         To be eligible for a scientific permit for rehabilitation of fauna the applicant must:

1)         Be 18 years of age;

2)         Have experience in treating and handling wild animals and have facilities available to treat, care for and produce self-dependent fauna for release to the wild; and

3)         Have public or State scientific, educational or zoological institutions available which will take dead and/or permanently disabled fauna.

c)         Application for a scientific permit shall be made on forms provided by the Department. Applications can be found on the Department's website, www.dnr.illinois.gov.

d)         Scientific permits will be issued by the Department provided the applicant has met the eligibility requirements of this Section, the application form has been completed and the project description meets the criteria of Section 520.30.

e)         Final judgment of applications and applicability of formal agreements described in Section 520.30(a) will be made by the Chief, Division of Wildlife Resources on wildlife permits; by the Chief, Division of Fisheries on fisheries permits; and by the Chief, Division of Natural Heritage on heritage permits based on the criteria contained in Section 520.20(d).

f)         The possession of Department scientific permit does not excuse the permittee from complying with federal regulations.  Permittees may be required to obtain federal permits in order to take or band migratory birds or other species protected by the U.S. Department of Interior.  Banding activities are considered to be any activity that involves affixing plastic, metal or other material to legs of birds.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 12398, effective August 4, 2023)