Bell Bowl Prairie Activists Stay Steadfast as a Rare Habitat Remains in By any measure, the airport had become an economic juggernaut since a UPS hub relocated there from Iowa in the 1990s. And it's an incredibly rare piece of land, said Crow Mermel. NLI uses remnants as reference points to know how restored land should look. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara declined to comment for this story. From the road driving by, its hard to see. Calvary horses and hay were brought in by rail from all over the country to tow the World War I-era cannons around. While INAI sites may be eligible for legal protection by being dedicated as a Nature Preserve or registered as a Land and Water Reserve with the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, the decision to do either is contingent on the INAI landowner. Its older than the pyramids.. The organization filed a lawsuit in the fall in an effort to halt construction at the prairie. I do want to say, it has been an inspiring movement. The first was by a physician, and the second time by his son. The work has been at a standstill since August, however, when Illinois Department of Natural Resources employees recorded two endangered rusty patched bumble bees at the site. Feasible, alternative plans exist and can be implemented to benefit the prairie and the Rockford community. Supporters shared memories of the past year and all theyve done to save Bell Bowl Prairie. Its the least you can do. Fish and Wildlife Service determined enough habitat for the bee existed elsewhere in the area. The legal system failed, our politicians didnt do anything, our mayor sat silent, the governor hasnt done anything, the airport board just sits there. Rare, threatened, and endangered species will be destroyed. NLI: Fight to preserve Bell Bowl Prairie not over Ramirez-Franco grew up in northern Illinois. Im an optimist.. Type in your search and hit Enter on desktop or hit Go on mobile device. PublishedJanuary 27, 2023 at 12:20 PM CST. Rockford Airport expansion in Bell Bowl Prairie begins Thursday despite push to protect endangered bumblebee's habitat Adriana Prez and Shanzeh Ahmad for Chicago Tribune | March 9, 2023 Death of a Prairie: Bulldozers Arrived at Bell Bowl at Dawn Patty Wetli for WTTW | March 9, 2023 Construction resumes at Bell Bowl Prairie near Rockford Airport A Species in Greatest Need of Conservation in Illinois, Bobolink have been declining at an alarming -6.76% average annual rate across their range since 1966 (Sauer et al. As a civic reporting fellow at City Bureau, a non-profit news organization that focuses on Chicagos South Side, Ramirez-Franco produced print and audio stories about the Pilsen neighborhood. According to the IDNR, there are approximately 25 acres of high-quality dry gravel prairies known to be remaining in the state. The airport still plans to bulldoze the rest of Bell Bowl Prairie. Bumblebee (bombus sp.) Sod rescue operation of Bell Bowl Prairie underway by Winnebago Forest Bell Bowl Prairie, while small, is a reminder of what Illinois once was: a vast expanse of prairies, savannas, wetlands, and woodlands as far as the eye can see. The airport also agreed to allow the state to transplant some of the prairie plants elsewhere, but that idea was scuttled after opposition from the Forest Preserve and others. Bell Bowl had been one of the few remaining prairie remnants in Illinois, land carved by the retreat of the last glaciers and never plowed under or developed. But theres hope amid the heartbreak, too. The power of the Amazons of this world is just too great. We can definitely feel some people burning out, especially with multiple deadlines that weve been working against, Neece says. Bell Bowl Prairie supporters gathered Thursday in the parking lot at 60 Airport Drive in Rockford ahead of a 5 p.m. meeting of Greater Rockford Airport Authority. The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. We do not want to stop this airport expansion, Kerry Leigh, the executive director of the land institute, told WBEZs Reset in March. These connected habitats provided opportunities for thousands of species of plants, birds, insects, mammals, fungi and more to prosper for thousands of years. But they dont see it that way. We need to kick it in gear,Neece says. Samuel Shapiro intervened. State-recognized natural areas such as this can and should be protected with conservation easements and dedicated nature preserve status. If granted, this would pause construction in the prairie until the . ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - It's been more than a year since the Natural Land Institute first filed a lawsuit to stop the Greater Rockford Airport Authority from bulldozing part of Bell Bowl. This is the third time in 100 years that the small and vulnerable Bell Bowl has had to be saved. Supporters of the movement to save Bell Bowl Prairie, a small patch of rare remnant prairie situated within the boundaries of Chicago Rockford International Airport, continue to hold out for a win-win. Instead, the activists are brainstorming last-ditch efforts to reroute the new road and trying to boost morale. It was in that process that the Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, IL was identified and added to the states inventory. Counsel for the Greater Rockford Airport Authority had notified the NLI that the airport could bulldoze portions of the prairie on March 9, less than a week away from the beginning of the endangered bees foraging season. In the meantime, a recently announced notice of litigation may provide the prairie limited life support. ), rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) photo by Clay Bolt, prairie gentian (Gentiana puberulenta) photo by cassi saari. The roadway was originally anticipated to be a 60-day project set to begin in August of 2021. Photo: Howard Arndt/Audubon Photography Awards, Help power unparalleled conservation work for birds across the Americas, Stay informed on important news about birds and their habitats, Receive reduced or free admission across our network of centers and sanctuaries, Great Egret. Fell and his Illinois-based Natural Land Institute tried unsuccessfully to buy the prairie site. Rockford landscape architect Domenico DAlessandro sketched out a detailed proposal that asks the airport to dedicate 38 acres to connect Bell Bowl to one of the regions most valuable and high-quality natural areas at the confluence of the Rock and Kishwaukee rivers a place where the fishing is bountiful and rare mussels have reappeared in the waters. And as the April celebration demonstrated, theyve also gotten creative. Back in the mid-1970s, John White designed and directed the Illinois Natural Areas InventoryIllinoiss first statewide survey of significant natural resources. Juanpablo covers environmental, substandard housing and police-community relations. Northern Public Radio | Now some conservationists want to persuade the Airport Authority to reconsider their plans. In the coming days, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County have announced they will conduct a joint sod rescue operation to salvage what's left of the demolition site and transport the soil to a nearby preserve. In the context of the climate conference that begins in two weeks, where officials globally will attempt to build consensus on a set of environmental agreements to prevent us from reaching dangerous climate tipping points, the plight of Bell Bowl prairie is brought into sharper relief. The prairie is located at approximately 6045 Cessna Drive in the city of Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois. Until that time, share this link to spread the word: www.savebellbowlprairie.org, Category I Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI) site. The coarse substrate and fragile soil profile, presence of state and federally Threatened and Endangered species, and many other issues discussed in depth by John White are reason enough to keep the prairie intact, in place. However, at northeastern Illinois prairies that are effectively protected and managed, Bobolink are actually increasing at a rate of 2% annually over the past ten years (Bird Conservation Network, 2013). Email him atkhaas@rockrivercurrent.comor follow him on Twitter at@KevinMHaas. In the meantime, a recently announced notice of litigation may provide the prairie limited life support. They have failed to ensure, she said, that their funding, their authorization, their construction, their expansion and the operation of the Rockford airport does not jeopardize the health and existence of the federally listed endangered rusty patched bumble bee.. HB6 has been called the worst energy policy in the country. Leigh adds that the goal is not to stop the expansion, only to stop development over the prairie. National Audubon Society These are some of the rarest of rare species in Illinois and are worth protecting. Each side has something to lose: The airport does not want a lengthy court battle holding up the expansion, and open-land advocates know that current laws favor construction over conservation. View the timeline of events around Save Bell Bowl Prairie efforts. Rockford airport expansion threatens Bell Bowl Prairie | WBEZ Chicago Some of these kids are walking out of high school and going to the community college tech school. Let's hope the weather doesn't let them [start], Leigh had said after the ruling came down. Rich and diverse prairies, developing only over millennia, used to cover 22 million acres of Illinois. But the conflict over conservation and commerce has put some high-profile politicians in a hard place, including Gov. The grassroots activists arent convinced. He is a graduate of Knox College. Events. Zack Oakley with the Airport Authority confirmed that construction will begin again come November when the rusty patched bumble bees foraging season is over. Timeline Save Bell Bowl Prairie Now all that was at risk. We are wasting a lot of conservation opportunities by letting these small patches go without consideration., Recognizing the studys relevance, Neece shared it with the more than 4,000 members of the Save Bell Bowl Prairie Facebook group. The lawsuit was filed last October in federal court in Rockford as a means to halt construction of a $50 million cargo expansion of the Chicago Rockford International Airport. "If you try to move it, it will disintegrate and it will just die away and be replaced by weeds." Zack Oakley with the Airport Authority confirmed that construction will begin again come November when the rusty patched bumble bee's foraging season is over. Impacts to this habitat could result in an illegal take (killing) of this federally Endangered species. loss and other threats. Cargo aircraft are visible behind the Bell Bowl Prairie adjacent to Chicago Rockford International Airport on Oct. 20, 2021, in Winnebago County. The Federal Aviation Authority issued its long-awaited re-evaluation of the multimillion-dollar construction project at Chicago Rockford International Airport Friday, March 3. JB Pritzkers Chicago home, and raise legal funds. "Stay Current. Speaking to a crowd outside of City Hall, Jillian Neece, a local environmental organizer, said its time for officials to act. Bell Bowl Prairie is a remnant dry gravel prairie located on public land in Rockford, Illinois ( Winnebago County ). Better yet, one local landscape architect says, redesign the expansion plan to showcase and connect the isolated prairie to nearby open spaces for tourism, recreation and natural resource preservation. Construction at Bell Bowl Prairie halted until June Cut Climate Pollution to Protect Birds and People, Stop the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Extinction Act, Help Save America's Birds & Other Wildlife. It was beautiful.. Theyd assembled to celebrate the imminent emergence of bumble bee queens. Today, only 0.1% of remnant prairies still remain in the US. Youve got to be kidding me, these bees are on this site? Published March 8, 2023 at 8:31 PM CST Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco / Kerry Leigh, Executive Director of the Natural Land Institute, announces to a crowd that emergency motion was denied. When we no longer have these sites to refer back to, she says, were going to no longer know where were going.. Bell Bowl Prairie - Wikipedia Theyre doing everything they can think ofcontacting officials, exploring legal options, staging performances as pollinatorsto save this vibrant slice of nature. Grassland dependent bird species have lost 53% of their population over the past 50 years. Its pretty impressive, said Chicago Rockford International spokesman Zach Oakley, who grew up a couple miles from the airport and worked on a UPS ramp there after high school. Now, Chicago-Rockford International Airport plans to destroy Bell Bowl Prairie, which contains five acres of this precious biome, as part of a planned expansion. "The bulldozer used lights before the sun rose to begin stripping the . At 6 a.m. Thursday, bulldozer headlights appeared at the top of a small hill and in that moment, the 18-month fight to save ancient Bell Bowl Prairie ended. To reduce its impacts on this ancient habitat, the airport's latest plan includes an updated construction design that removes a stormwater detention area included in earlier plans. Construction on the Rockford Airport cargo expansion has come right to the edge of Bell Bowl Prairie. Pritzker said publicly he would like to see a compromise, but declined to comment to WBEZ for this story. This includes more than three acres of high-quality prairie. The roadway being built by the GRAA over the Bell Bowl Prairie means there will be just shy of 23 acres of high quality dry-gravel prairie remaining in Illinois. Brian Cassella/Tribune News Service. Soldiers ran up and down the glacial moraines in trench warfare training maneuvers. The airport property is public land, DAlessandro said, and officials there have an obligation to satisfy both economic and environmental concerns since they receive millions in state and federal dollars, including $3.6 million in Rebuild Illinois infrastructure monies. This permanent loss of Illinois natural heritage must not be exacerbated by the continued destruction of the few prairie acres that remain. Your support will power our science, education, advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts. Audubon members protect birds. But the land institute said it did not attend the meetings, and the airport never told the group directly about the construction plan to cut through the prairie, even though the two parties had a written stewardship agreement dating back to 1977. But once I got in there, I was transported to a special place. (Courtesy of Jessie Mermel) At 6 a.m. Thursday, bulldozer headlights appeared at the top of a small hill and in that moment, the 18-month fight to save ancient Bell Bowl Prairie ended. At the very least, DAlessandros greenway proposal might be a starting point for a long-term discussion about the airports growing footprint, which has another 1 million square foot of construction on the drawing board. Its not all for nothing. Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Some activists have started conversations with sustainability representatives from UPS and Amazon, which ship cargo through Rockford airport, in hopes that the companies might release statements in support of the prairies protection, Neece says. That's when the Chicago Rockford International Airport agreed to suspend a segment . About Save Bell Bowl Prairie They are able to earn a living and support their family., Jury said the airport could pay to move the prairie plants, or buy other land to preserve. Perspective: The birds, the bees, and the Bell Bowl Prairie For the past eight months, members of the Save Bell Bowl Prairie coalition have been inundating Gov. Audubon chapters create a culture of conservation in local communitiesthrough education and advocacy, focusing on the conservationof birdsand conservation of importanthabitats. 2016). In the case of Bell Bowl Prairie, the Greater Rockford Airport Authority has neither dedicated nor registered it. The Bell Bowl Prairie harbors observations for the State-endangered Large-flowered Beard Tongue and Prairie Dandelion. But at the rate its going, its all going to be concrete someday anyway.. Save Bell Bowl Prairie - Facebook This will be the latest lawsuit from the NLI. Bell Bowl Prairie is a native patch of land on the airports property that environmentalists say is one of the last remaining ancient gravel prairies in Illinois. Chicago Rockford International Airport Bell Bowl Prairie . ), To make clear whats at stake, activists recently touted new evidence that small habitats like Bell Bowl Prairie can have outsize importance for biodiversity. The rest has been mostly plowed up, paved over and eradicated in the mad rush of commerce and agriculture across the past 200 years. The sun rises over Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, one of the last few remaining prairie remnants in Illinois and the site of a dispute between conservationists and airport officials.. For its defenders, the tiny remnant prairie is a cherished reminder of a less spoiled, almost mythic, past the land of indigenous tribes, bison and tallgrass plants shimmying in the breeze. Crow Mermel adds that it is hard to overstate the value of preserving an ecological site like Bell Bowl Prairie. Latest news The FAA has given the go ahead to the Greater Rockford Airport Authority (GRAA) to build a road through ancient Bell Bowl Prairie, despite public outcry and available alternatives. Today, he said jobseekers relocate from the Chicago suburbs for airport work. In a statement sent to WNIJ, the FAA wrote that Chicago Rockford International Airport will retain more than six acres of the Bell Bowl Prairie. ROCKFORD A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit aimed at protecting Bell Bowl Prairie from destruction under an expansion of the Rockford airport, but the case could return to court pending the outcome of an environmental review.. U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston dismissed the case this week after determining it was "not ripe for . For others, the value comes from a scientific understanding that undisturbed prairie, with its complex ecosystem, contains a gene pool of still-hidden lessons for mankind that cannot be recreated or replaced, even by well-meaning prairie restoration projects in Illinois like Midewin and the Nachusa Grasslands. Before that, he was a production intern at the Third Coast International Audio Festival and the rural America editorial intern at In These Times magazine. Hes been a bilingual facilitator at the StoryCorps office in Chicago. (Courtesy of Jessie Mermel). At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. As residents of The Prairie State, protecting the remaining acres of this crucial ecosystem is essential to ensure the survival of our precious remaining prairies and prairie birds.". Pledge to stand with Audubon to call on elected officials to listen to science and work towards climate solutions. They never once had a conversation with us.. There's a way for everyone to help birds and the places they need. Outside of the Winnebago County Court House in Rockford earlier this week, Kerry Leigh, the executive director of the NLI, announced to a crowd of advocates of the rare prairie that as it stood there would be no reprieve for the Bell Bowl Prairie. There are folks kind of driving by on Beltline Road and paying attention to see if all the construction equipment that's out here is on the move.. A lawsuit has stopped construction in its tracks and, with it, a strip of land too steep and gravelly to plow has gone from worthless to priceless in the eyes of its two beholders: Conservationists and officials keen on economic development. When a remnant prairie is destroyed, there is no scientific way of replicating that assemblage of plants, animals, and soil biota anywhere else. Still, Crow Mermel says construction updates since the fall have been scarce. Bald Eagle. A small group of committed conservationists have been monitoring the Bell Bowl Prairie since the fall. Press release: Royals and Bally Sports Kansas City announce 2022 Progress too now threatens the Bell Bowl. In 1978, The Bell Bowl Prairie was included in the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (INAI), a registry of the highest quality natural communities in Illinois. Bell Bowl Prairie Proponents Have a Proposal to Save Rare Land - News How a tiny bee became a big problem for an Amazon-fueled expansion in Illinois. There are still roughly 14 acres of prairie land left in the area, including about 5 acres of high-quality prairie, according to NLI. It completed and submitted a required environmental assessment to the Federal Aviation Administration. In a paper published in March, researchers analyzed 32 datasets from around the world and found that small habitats, when totaled to equal the size of one large one, hold more biodiversity and declining species. And as I drove north to Winnebago County, I went past just one prairie that is comparable to the Bell Bowl Prairie in terms of its size and its quality.. Lifestyle. Northern Public Radio | How hypocritical to call ourselves the Prairie State.. Audubon Great Lakes, a regional office of National Audubon Society, and our 52,000 members in Illinois support halting construction until a more thoughtful plan can be developed that best represents the interests of all stakeholders. All the biodiversity, all the plants, she said. Our mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earths biological diversity. Temporary halt to construction continues at Bell Bowl Prairie, a New litigation over Bell Bowl Prairie may be on the horizon By Kevin Haas Rock River Current Get our mobile app. Following a lawsuit that activists filed in late October, the new work date shifted to March, then to June as federal agencies looked again at how construction could affect the bee. Fish and Wildlife Service. Jessie Mermel was among a small group of people holding vigil overnight at the Rockford Airport, anticipating the imminent destruction of the prairie after courts declined to issue a last-minute stay on Wednesday. Audubon protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Litigation from the Natural Land Institute was unable to stall the destruction of portions of the Bell Bowl Prairie at the Chicago Rockford International Airport. Several state and federally Threatened and Endangered species occur at Bell Bowl Prairie. The current expansion plan if and when it is completed, would add another 240,000 square feet for new cargo tenants. Hes been a bilingual facilitator at the StoryCorps office in Chicago. Its there, yeah, he said of Bell Bowl. This is what keeps the planet alive.. The purpose of this group is to provide. The prairie is so colorful, when you are standing in it, up close and personal, said the soft-spoken Grycan. Litigation from the Natural Land Institute was unable to stall the destruction of portions of the Bell Bowl Prairie at the Chicago Rockford International Airport. That momentum will be needed to protect other unique Illinois natural areas at risk, said Illinois Environmental Council Conservation Director Lindsay Keeney. Environmentalists to file lawsuit over Illinois' Bell Bowl Prairie Northern Public Radio | One person compared it to shattering a stained glass window into a thousand pieces and reassembling it. The Bell Bowl Prairie is a nearly a 5-acre high quality Dry Gravel Prairie on the property of the Rockford airport. What Should Be Done About Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl Loose in New York? Over time, weve compressed that vast expanse into a few, tiny remnants where species suffer and their populations decline. The idea of bigger and bigger is too ingrained.. We know that there are threatened and endangered species that live there and that pass through there on their migrations., While the bee is this standoffs legal basis, the prairie is more than just a pollinator habitat. Sites like Bell Bowl Prairie, which has been managed by staff and volunteers for years, need to be protected to ensure a future for rare birds like Bobolink and the Illinois State Endangered Loggerhead Shrike, another resident of Bell Bowl Prairie. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is set to decide by fall whether the project can continue after an agreement with the airport ends on October 15. Finally, Bell Bowl was an "ancient" or "remnant" prairie, meaning it had not been disturbed by humans for hundreds of years. It seemed pretty willful, Mermel said of the airports insistence on paving over Bell Bowl. As the elected leaders of Rockford, Mayor McNamara and city council members have status that gives them negotiating power with the airport, said Neece.They can at least meet with the airport and talk to them about this, which the airport has repeatedly refused to do with the citizens of Rockford.. A small group of committed conservationists have been monitoring the Bell Bowl Prairie since the fall. Your support will power our science, education, advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts. Plus, Leigh says, its a remnant habitat thats been around since the last retreat of glaciers from Illinois about 10,000 years ago. Join today, Celebrate Audubon Texass Centennial with a Virtual Tour of the Coast, Short-term Federal Management on Colorado River Needs Long-term Outlook, UCLA Students Promote Inclusive Birding with LGBTQ+ Pride Event. The prairie is being torn up to make way for a road thats part of the airports midfield cargo expansion project. Finally Gov. It seems like theres no accountability, Mermel said. A protracted legal battle ensued. The proposed development of this prairie would jeopardize the existence of one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world and by default the rare flora and fauna contained therein. In addition, the airport proposed conservation measures such as planting a 52-acre pollinator habitat at a different site, barring pesticide use on the remaining prairie, and limiting any ground-disturbing activity to before March 15 to prevent growth of flowers that would draw bees to nest there during construction. Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news. The insects that are visiting, they see everything in technicolor., Grycans friend, and fellow conservationist, Jessie Crow Mermel, described a reverence standing there. Just this past week, 23 species of birds and wildlife were removed from the endangered species list and officially declared extinct by the U.S. Today, however, wildlife faces a fragmented landscape that provides more barriers and obstacles than opportunities for species to thrive. The inventory includes nearly a hundred different natural community types that in many cases operate as habitats for endangered and threatened species, distinctive natural features, and uncommon concentrations of native flora and fauna. Hes been a bilingual facilitator at the StoryCorps office in Chicago. It was quite a slap in the face, Paulson said. Work resumed early Thursday morning at the Bell Bowl Prairie near the Rockford airport as part of the airport's expansion of cargo operations. It says the Bell Bowl Prairie land is critical to both this expansion and future growth of RFD facilities and runways. Prairie Watchdogs Can Stand Down, Temporarily, As Bell Bowl - News Oakley would not comment on the airports relationship with the conservation group behind the suit, or on proposals to move the road, but highlighted a concession it made in the plan by eliminating a pond to temporarily hold water overflow.
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