ILLINOIS, KENTUCKY SIGN RIVER PACT FOR SPORTSMEN

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois and Kentucky have reached an agreement for sportsmen in the Ohio River dispute.

A new pact, reached Tuesday, moves the two states one step closer to ending a border war that's raged since Illinois gained statehood back in 1818, when Daniel Boone still walked the forests and Abe Lincoln was just a boy.

An interim agreement signed by Illinois Conservation Director Brent Manning and his Kentucky counterpart, Fish and Wildlife Resources Commissioner Don McCormick, allows hunters and fishermen on the river to follow their own state's game laws regardless of what part of the river they're on.

"Now anglers and hunters from both states have the opportunity to enjoy this scenic river, understanding that they need to abide by the fish and game rules of their home state," Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar said.

The states share a 133-mile boundary along the Ohio River, but have fought for almost two centuries over where one state ends and the other begins.

Until 1991, Kentucky claimed it owned the entire breadth of the river to the Illinois shoreline.

In fact, state officials required anyone using the river to buy non- resident hunting and fishing licenses, and to obey Kentucky fish and game laws.

However, such moves not only proved a headache for anglers, but also complicated matters for police departments and other authorities who investigated crimes or accidents on the river.

Last year, a special master appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Illinois was entitled to a portion of the river.

Kentucky and Illinois are still negotiating a final boundary, but Tuesday, officials agreed that in the interim, hunters and anglers will obey their own state's wildlife regulations whenever they're on the river's main channel.

They'll also be allowed to hunt or fish whenever a season is open in either state. Conservation officers from both states will be allowed to inspect boats, licenses and equipment belonging to anyone on the two states' stretch of the Ohio.