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. Bell Bowl Prairie is a remnant dry gravel prairie located on public land in Rockford, Illinois ( Winnebago County ). Shortly after word spread that the land was threatened, the airport blocked all access. The last minute appearance of rusty patched bumble bee stalled construction on a project at the Chicago Rockford International Airport that would destroy some of the last remaining remnant prairie in the state. Supporters shared memories of the past year and all theyve done to save Bell Bowl Prairie. Audubon and Partners Launch Community-driven Climate Projects in Three States, Making a Splash: Audubon Great Lakes and MI Birds At Blue Water Sturgeon Festival, Juneteenth Summer Celebration at Grange Insurance Audubon Center. Hes been a bilingual facilitator at the StoryCorps office in Chicago. 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. Aerial: RFD; annotation and illustrations by Liz Anna Kozik. Counsel for the GRAA has told NLI's lawyers the airport will start working as early as Thursday March 9th. The NLI filed another petition requesting that all eleven appellate judges of the Seventh Circuit rule on the motion to halt construction. The airport authority canceled several of its public meetings last year. Uh oh, Williams said to himself. Instead, the activists are brainstorming last-ditch efforts to reroute the new road and trying to boost morale. What Is Causing the Perplexing Decline of the American Kestrel? Sod rescue operation of Bell Bowl Prairie underway by Winnebago Forest Finally, Bell Bowl was an "ancient" or "remnant" prairie, meaning it had not been disturbed by humans for hundreds of years. 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 Bell Bowl Advocates Say Work Is Just Beginning: 'This Is a Lot - News People have done so much, cared so much.. 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. Only about 25 acres of high-quality dry gravel prairies remain in Illinois, and the Bell Bowl Prairie contains some of the states last. Northern Public Radio | The legal system failed, our politicians didnt do anything, our mayor sat silent, the governor hasnt done anything, the airport board just sits there. The discovery brought construction to a halt that was originally set to expire last November, after the insects foraging season. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that work on the "Bell Bowl Prairie" is temporarily halted, until June 1, 2022. Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk. Theres an energy created here, said Mermel. Kerry Leigh, executive director of the Natural Land Institute, says she hopes officials do the right thing. These species have suffered due to conversion to agriculture, urban development, and habitat fragmentation. Crow Mermel adds that it is hard to overstate the value of preserving an ecological site like Bell Bowl Prairie. Bell Bowls steward for almost 50 years, the Natural Land Institute, argues that with minor changes to the design, Rockford can have both airport expansion and preserve a rare prairie remnant. In 2019,the Chicago-Rockford International Airport initiated a $50 million expansion project to create space for more cargo planes and add hundreds of jobs to the region. Thursday marked one year since Chicago Rockford International Airport officials put the brakes on a $50 . These are some of the rarest of rare species in Illinois and are worth protecting. Because they only live in Illinois during the breeding season, it is our responsibility to all of the Western Hemisphere to ensure the remaining habitats of threatened grassland birds are preserved and enhanced, not destroyed. Leigh adds that the goal is not to stop the expansion, only to stop development over the prairie. Hes been a bilingual facilitator at the StoryCorps office in Chicago. Rich and diverse prairies, developing only over millennia, used to cover 22 million acres of Illinois. 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. Elected officials want to be seen creating jobs, not bulldozing a landscape that, in spring, teems with the pink eastern pasque, or Passover, flower. That's when the Chicago Rockford International Airport agreed to suspend a segment . This is the third time in 100 years that the small and vulnerable Bell Bowl has had to be saved. A small group of committed conservationists have been monitoring the Bell Bowl Prairie since the fall. Standing in its way is an odd slice of remnant prairie, home to the rusty patched bumblebee. Northern Public Radio | Zack Oakley with the Airport Authority confirmed that construction will begin again come November when the rusty patched bumble bees foraging season is over. While the transplant idea fell flat, some have laid out another path to compromise. In the meantime, a recently announced notice of litigation may provide the prairie limited life support. 'Not ripe for review': Federal judge dismisses Bell Bowl Prairie 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. The Rockford Airport declined to comment to WNIJ citing pending litigation. In the meantime, a recently announced notice of litigation may provide the prairie limited life support. He reportedly sweet-talked a bulldozer operator into idling his machine. (Airport officials declined to comment for this story. The presence of the bee halted construction last year, and then in April officials with the airport said they started formal consultation with the FAA to determine how expansion would affect the endangered bee. Construction at the Bell Bowl Prairie is stalled again until June. But once I got in there, I was transported to a special place. Youve got to be kidding me, these bees are on this site? This is still something thats worth our time, she says. Lifting the soil, gravel, and plants up and moving them somewhere else to try to save the prairie is not acceptable. Help secure the future for birds at risk from climate change, habitat. Hes been a bilingual facilitator at the StoryCorps office in Chicago. Bell Bowl prairie is complicated, Paulson said. 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. Having never been plowed or planted by the European immigrants who settled Illinois by slicing through deep prairie roots in the 1800s, Bell Bowl became a research subject for the camp psychiatrist, an amateur botanist named Egbert W. Fell. We can definitely feel some people burning out, especially with multiple deadlines that weve been working against, Neece says. Losing 5 acres of high quality gravel hill prairie is an unacceptable loss that cannot be mitigated with any effort known to science. 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.. Driving past a favorite birdwatching destination at Bell Bowl Prairie last summer, Dan Williams spotted a big, yellow Caterpillar tractor where wild plum once had grown. 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. (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. 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 . Fish and Wildlife Service. Its neighbor, the Chicago Rockford International Airport, has been on an expansion boom driven by its role as an Amazon cargo hub fulfilling orders from one-click shopping. (Courtesy of Jessie Mermel). We just have a lot of very small patches left, says Carleton University research fellow Federico Riva, who co-authored the paper. It was in that process that the Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford, IL was identified and added to the states inventory. For a depressed region that was once a rust-belt poster child, the airport, which employs 8,500 people who move $3 billion in international goods annually, is an economic engine that has lifted the region. By, Oklahoma judge throws out a suit seeking reparations for the Tulsa Race Massacre, The U.N. secretary-general says Sudan is on the brink of a 'full-scale civil war', All the prison's presidents: Peru's special jail for ex-leaders is all full up, Elton John bids farewell to the road with the last show on his goodbye tour, Suspended from Twitter, the account tracking Elon Musk's jet has landed on Threads. Access a free guide of more than 800 species of North American birds, Discover the impacts of climate change on birds and their habitats, Learn more about the birds you love through audio clips, stunning photography, and in-depth text. Photo: Dick Dickinson/Audubon Photography Awards. Press Save Bell Bowl Prairie The idea of bigger and bigger is too ingrained.. All rights reserved. Bell Bowl Prairie contains some of the most intact and undisturbed natural plant communities found anywhere in the state of Illinois. 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 power of the Amazons of this world is just too great. Calvary horses and hay were brought in by rail from all over the country to tow the World War I-era cannons around. Its irreplaceable. One Facebook group member even suggested calling the White House. There could be a solution in reach, if the two sides start talking. Threatened and Endangered species seen at Bell Bowl Prairie and on Rockford Airport grounds include: Federally Endangered rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), State Threatened Franklins ground squirrel (Poliocitellus franklinii), State Endangered prairie false dandelion (Nothocalais cuspidata), State Endangered large-flowered penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus), State Endangered cats claw (Mimosa nuttallii), State Endangered loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), State Threatened black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus), State Endangered northern harrier (Circus hudsonius)*, State Endangered upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda)** = recorded on Bell Bowl Prairie eBird page. Absolutely. But theres hope amid the heartbreak, too. The Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission coordinated with the airport to transport the soil from the destroyed portion of the Bell Bowl Prairie to the Cedar Cliff Nature Preserve . Northern Public Radio | This article is byKevin Haas. These imports, and the horse manure, introduced new plants to the area, including the eastern prickly pear cactus and Mexican hat coneflower. 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. Theres always a story behind prairie remnants.. Thats when the Chicago Rockford International Airport agreed to suspend a segment of a $50 million dollar expansion. Ramirez-Franco grew up in northern Illinois. 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. It says the Bell Bowl Prairie land is critical to both this expansion and future growth of RFD facilities and runways. Its not all for nothing. 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. The motion to stay or to stop the bulldozing submitted this week," said Leigh, "has been reviewed and denied this afternoon by two out of three judges on the federal Seventh Circuit appellate court.". By, Oklahoma judge throws out a suit seeking reparations for the Tulsa Race Massacre, The U.N. secretary-general says Sudan is on the brink of a 'full-scale civil war', All the prison's presidents: Peru's special jail for ex-leaders is all full up, Elton John bids farewell to the road with the last show on his goodbye tour, Suspended from Twitter, the account tracking Elon Musk's jet has landed on Threads. 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. So there is a lot of confusion and the airport is continuing to foster this confusion, said Leigh. Chicago Rockford International Airport Bell Bowl Prairie That would require the airports approval, however, which doesnt appear likely. Its an uh-oh moment, again, for the Bell Bowl Prairie in north central Illinois near Rockford, a 21-acre sliver of rocky earth that supports a rare combination of plants, soils, insects and microorganisms. Rockford airport expansion threatens Bell Bowl Prairie | WBEZ Chicago There is less than one-hundredth of one percent (0.01%) of prairie remaining in the state of Illinois. Bell Bowl Prairie - Wikipedia 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. Jessie Crow Mermel is among the so called prairie watchdogs, We have just amped up our efforts on monitoring the prairie, said Crow Mermel. As it stands, one last evaluation from the Federal Aviation Administration stands between the airports projected development and the 15.5-acre of prairie habitat, a piece of which represents some of the last remnant dry-gravel prairie left in Illinois. Get updates about our conservation work and how to help birds. To fight the fatigue, local organizers have rallied activists to sign petitions, contact elected officials, protest outside Illinois Gov. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara declined to comment for this story. Executive Director of Natural Land Institute, Kerry Leigh, and Executive Director of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, Amy Doll, alongside other speakers, plan to address the board during the public comments section to see what the future holds for Bell Bowl. Rare Virgin Prairie In Illinois Gets Reprieve From Bulldozer; Airport Impacts to this habitat could result in an illegal take (killing) of this federally Endangered species. The insects that are visiting, they see everything in technicolor., Grycans friend, and fellow conservationist, Jessie Crow Mermel, described a reverence standing there. 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. Press release: Royals and Bally Sports Kansas City announce 2022 The Chicago Rockford International Airport wants to grow. During the day, these birds quietly forage for insects along the ground. Bernheim forest and Bell Bowl Prairie are warnings of increasing Grassland dependent bird species like the Bobolink, a long-distance migrant that spends its winters in the grasslands of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, rely on prairies in Illinois and the upper Midwest for their breeding habitat in the summer. Email him atkhaas@rockrivercurrent.comor follow him on Twitter at@KevinMHaas. Representatives of the airport declined comment for this story, but they previously said they anticipated the review would be complete this fall. 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. Grassland ecosystems are among the most threatened on the planet. Section 15 of the The Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act urges public agencies to dedicate suitable natural areas under their stewardship. Of these 2,500 acres, only 148 acres across the state are remnant gravel hill prairies like Bell Bowl. If not for the discovery of a tiny, endangered bee with a distinctive orange spot known as the rusty patched bumblebee, the prairie which sits in the middle of the airport would be bulldozed by now. Its there, yeah, he said of Bell Bowl. This article is by Kevin . In the short term, this is a victory for environmentaliststhe prairie will remain safe for another summer, and the movement has more time to organize. But Bell Bowl Prairie, which lies on the airports property, would be largely paved over and bisected by a new road. Let's hope the weather doesn't let them [start], Leigh had said after the ruling came down. Those fights are just around the corner," she said. 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. 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.. Decades passed, the prairie stewards conducted controlled burns every few years, and airport workers even pitched in with the land institute employees and volunteers to cut invasive and non-native brush. The movement to save Bell Bowl was initially bolstered by the discovery of federally endangered rusty patched bumble bees on the site, but ultimately federal agencies such as U.S. Rockford Airport officials suspended construction at the Bell Bowl Prairie in the fall to re-evaluate their plan with state agencies. The fight to save Bell Bowl Prairie is over as Rockford airport WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Contact Patty Wetli:@pattywetli| (773) 509-5623 |[emailprotected]. With Grycan was his wife, Melissa, a natural heritage biologist in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 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. There are still roughly 14 acres of prairie land left in the area, including about 5 acres of high-quality prairie, according to NLI. He is a graduate of Knox College. The Bell Bowl Prairie harbors observations for the State-endangered Large-flowered Beard Tongue and Prairie Dandelion. Young queens of this species overwinter in the soil. Read about Bell Bowl Prairies rich history and importance in a comprehensive statement by prairie expert John White. Juanpablo covers environmental, substandard housing and police-community relations. 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. Sign up for our morning newsletter to get all of our stories delivered to your mailbox each weekday. If you try to move it, it will disintegrate and it will just die away and be replaced by weeds.. Bald Eagle. Grassland dependent bird species have lost 53% of their population over the past 50 years. Today, he said jobseekers relocate from the Chicago suburbs for airport work. The airport still plans to bulldoze the rest of Bell Bowl Prairie. It remits $2 million a year in property taxes to schools and public services. Birds are singing and bees are buzzing, but October isnt far off. Pledge to stand with Audubon to call on elected officials to listen to science and work towards climate solutions. NLI uses remnants as reference points to know how restored land should look. Act now to help save the prairie.. March 4 and 6, 2023: The Natural Land Institute files a Petition for Review (March 4th) and an Emergency Motion for Stay Pending Review (March 6th) with the Seventh Circuit Court, challenging the FAA's Written Reevaluation. By Kevin Haas Rock River Current Get our newsletter. Ramirez-Franco grew up in northern Illinois. Today, only 0.1% of remnant prairies still remain in the US. If the Federal Aviation Administration permits construction to go forward after that review, then the case would be ripe and the lawsuit could be taken to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia or the Seventh Circuit, attorneys told the Natural Land Institute. How hypocritical to call ourselves the Prairie State.. About Save Bell Bowl Prairie