"The governor's actions will put abused and neglected children at greater risk, reduce access to Medicaid and food stamps, and further harm state parks and historic sites," said Henry Bayer, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which is the largest union for state employees.

Lawmakers were quick to denounce the cuts, saying it will put abused children at risk and hurt the economies of communities near the facilities to close.

“He went after programs and services that truly affect people’s lives,” said state Rep. Lisa Dugan, D-Bradley. “It’s unfortunate to cut jobs when we’re understaffed in many different areas. Then to cut more doesn’t make any sense.”

Cuts are irresponsible and deep, said Bayer, noting the layoffs slash 12 percent of the frontline work force in child protection and more than 20 percent from historic preservation.

“The governor has to make tough decisions. It’s not easy to be governor but that’s his responsibility,” said state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline. “We’re in an economic downturn in Illinois and the government’s grown too much.”

According to AFSCME, the pink slips issued Wednesday included:

• 304 Department of Children and Family Services employees

• 73 Department of Human Services employees

• 43 Department of Natural Resources workers

• 34 Historic Preservation Agency employees

“We picked the parks to close based in part on attendance. We also looked to see if the population area was served by another park nearby,” said Chris McCloud, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The cuts are the result of vetoes made by Gov. Blagojevich. The administration has contended the cuts were an inevitable outcome of lawmakers not approving proposals such as increasing fees for state services and leasing the state lottery.

State Rep. Frank Mautino called the layoffs collateral damage to a dysfunctional budget year. Had state political leaders written the budget together, he said, they could have avoided some of these cuts.

“We are dealing with the hand that is before us and we worked very hard with the governor’s office to minimize the impact of these cuts,” said Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services.

Marlowe refused to provide a breakdown of how many people will be laid off at specific DCFS offices across the state. But he did say that ultimately the agency will lose fewer positions than the number of pink slips it issued today.

DCFS gave layoff notices to 304 people Thursday, but Marlowe said the agency plans to eliminate only 179 positions statewide.

Some DCFS workers in some offices with lighter caseloads will given a choice between being fired or accepting a position elsewhere in the state where need is greater, Marlowe said. He refused to say what part of state had the greatest need and where DCFS workers had lighter workloads, saying the position transfers are based on a “complex formula.”

The Department of Human Services was more forthcoming with its numbers. Agency spokesman Tom Green said there will be no layoffs at major DHS facilities like the Shapiro Developmental Center. In fact, in Rock Island County, the only DHS employee to receive a pink slip worked at the local welfare office, he said.

Effective Oct. 1, some 14 state historic sites will be closed, ranging from Springfield’s Dana Thomas House to Rock Island’s Hauberg Indian Museum. Beginning Nov. 1, 11 state parks will close, including Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park in Sheffield, Illini State Park in Marseilles and Channahon Parkway State Park.

The closures are expected to last at least through this budget year, which ends July 1.

"Our union will do everything possible to prevent layoffs, protect our members and restore public services, but we can't do it alone,” Bayer said in a prepared statement. “The public needs to insist that child protection, human services, state parks and Illinois history are too important to fall victim to the governor's budget ax. Lawmakers should return to Springfield as soon as possible to take whatever action is necessary to fix the budget and stop these cuts."

AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the possible impact of the layoffs is aggravated by previous cuts. He noted since 2001, DCFS has lost 28 percent of its frontline work force, DNR 21 percent and DHS field offices 20 percent.

Illinois state historic sites to be shuttered Oct. 1 are:

• Hauberg Indian Museum at Blackhawk State Historic Site in Rock Island

• Bishop Hill, Henry County

• Carl Sandburg, Galesburg

• Jubilee College, Peoria County

• Apple River Fort, Elizabeth

• Lincoln Log Cabin, Charleston

• Dana Thomas House, Springfield

• Lerna David Davis Mansion, Bloomington

• Fort de Chartres, Randolph County

• Vandalia Statehouse, Vandalia

• Cahokia Courthouse, Cahokia

• Bryant Cottage, Bement

• Fort Kaskaskia, Randolph County

• Pierre Menard Home, Randolph County

Illinois State Parks scheduled to close Nov. 1 are:

• Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield

• Castle Rock State Park, Oregon

• Lowden State Park, Oregon

• Illini State Park, Marseilles

• Rice Lake Conservation Area, Canton

• Channahon Parkway State Park, Channahon

• Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris

• Hidden Springs State Forrest, Strasburg

• Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood

• Moraine View State Park, LeRoy

• Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton