The Bell Bowl Prairie is a five-acre virgin gravel prairie--it is part of only 18.4 acres of this prairie type left in Illinois. It contains at least 164 species of plants, many of which are rare (including the federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee), and birders have found rare nesting birds there.
The Chicago Rockford International Airport has started a 280-acre expansion that would go through the middle of the Bell Bowl Prairie and result in its destruction. There are alternatives and conservation leaders are trying to meet with airport officials to discuss alternate expansion plans while avoiding this very rare prairie patch--but they have refused to meet.
The airport must stop its expansion project immediately and consider alternatives for the expansion to circumvent the prairie.
Why is this important?
Our plants and animals are under grave threat as we face a 6th mass extinction. We are losing species 1000 to 10,000 times faster than we have in the past--and most of these extinctions are occurring due to human activities (like this airport expansion). We must do everything we can to protect important habitats like this--especially when there are alternatives. Save the bees and other pollinators. We are all connected.
