Bell Bowl Prairie “Miraculously” Saved – but still on a Knife Edge

How We Did It - and a Battle Plan - November 2021

"Save Bell Bowl Prairie" has been an oddly historic battle - with seemingly new conservation forces seem in play. It should get more historic, as the precious ecosystem and its biodiversity will either "find salvation" or "get more destroyed." 

On the grounds of the Rockford Airport, Bell Bowl had twice already been saved from destruction - in 1957 and 1968. Then bulldozers started after it again in 2021, with this assault said to be unstoppable by many. “It would take a miracle” is a phrase we heard many times. But the dozing stopped. An explosive combination of grassroots activism and Internet advocacy gave Bell Bowl Prairie another reprieve, at the last hour. The drama continues. If the prairie gets legally dedicated as an Illinois Nature Preserve, then the threat would end. 

Graphic by Liz Anna Kozik

Bell Bowl may be the most important ecological site in Illinois not permanently protected. The understanding was that in 1977,  the Natural Land Institute (NLI) entered into a management agreement with the Airport and had been clearing brush, burning, and controlling invasive species ever since. 

Few knew that it was threatened, though apparently permits were applied for in 2018 and approved in 2019. The permitting process required notification of all stake holders, which the Airport failed to do. Thus the letter below, when it finally came to light, was a shocker. 

August 13, 2021

From Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to Rockport Airport officials: 

"Due to the unique quality and rare nature of the Bell Bowl Prairie … as one of the few remaining Dry Gravel Prairie Communities in Illinois, the Department also recommends that impacts to this … site be avoided to the extent practicable. If impacts cannot be avoided, the Department requests the opportunity to collect seeds and translocate plants and prairie materials to a Department approved site. Please contact the Department to coordinate this activity.”

That letter became notorious. As many conservation activists read it, those words threw in the towel and essentially authorized the destruction in exchange for some pathetic and nearly meaningless transplants. Bell Bowl Prairie is an irreplaceable ecosystem. But other forces within the DNR were also at work:

Report: August 20^th

Natural Land Institute, DNR, IL Department of Transportation, and the airport's consultants Crawford, Murphy & Tilly met virtually to discuss the expansion. Brad Hayes (interim director of DNR’s Consultation process) didn’t talk much. But he did say that the legally required consultation was re-opened. Jenny Skufca (also DNR) stated in a follow-up email to attendees, "The IDNR hopes to continue working closely with you on the road development. Please begin consideration now of an alternative to reconfigure the potential “Conceptual Cargo Development” to avoid any additional impact to the Bell Bowl Prairie Illinois Natural Areas Inventory site, a public trust resource. I understand that the complexities of this may be beyond consideration, but we hope you will represent our concern for this rare natural community in your discussions with the Airport Authority. Thank you."

So far, few outside the government even knew of the threat, including most of those who would launch the passionate and powerful “miracle.” Through the words below, the people who saved Bell Bowl Prairie in 2021 seek to analyze what went wrong and right so far … and to plan next steps for a good resolution. Thus, this "history" was written by the participants - and has been changing as more input arrives. 

Part 1. Backstory

In 1957, Dr. Egbert Fell “extracted a promise” from the Airport Authority not to disturb Bell Bowl Prairie “if at all possible.” In an article, Dr. and Mrs. Fell described the prairie as: 

… a natural amphitheater formed by a bend in the terrace bluff … one-half mile [long by] about 150 yards wide. The bluff was used for the training of troops in trench warfare maneuvers, but it has since been untouched except by an occasional burning. The prairie is one of the best preserved in northern Illinois [and] now a part of the Greater Rockford Airport.  

But facts, logic, and science weren’t enough. So, in 1968, Egbert’s son George Fell, legendary founder of The Nature Conservancy (nationally) and Nature Preserves Commission and System (in Illinois), found himself standing before a bulldozer as it started to gash the prairie and begging the foreman to wait for half a day. Apparently recognizing righteousness, the foreman violated his work orders and hesitated. 

Later that day, a telegram from Illinois Governor Samuel Shapiro asked the Airport Authority to reconsider. Fell had long been opposing the destruction by providing expert testimony to the Airport planners, making speeches, writing letters, leading field tours for politicians, press, business leaders, and the general public. He received strong editorial support from newspapers, but it took the Governor’s last minute “pardon” to stop the dozer.
 
Since then, for 53 years, the Natural Land Institute with many partner organizations (see Endnote 6 -  "Partners") has provided annual brush control and other management, but there seems to have been little of the kind of “stewards community” specifically devoted to it as has benefitted some sites.
 
Apparently, no one heard of the 2021 plans to destroy the prairie until very late in the game. Airport officials later told WTTW’s Patty Wetli that they had announced expansion plans in 2019, but they admitted that announcement assured all that the work would have “no significant impact” on the environment. Apparently, no one beyond officials looked closely at how the prairie would fare in those plans. Then, as 11 of the 25 acres of Bell Bowl Prairie were bulldozed, no one knew.  

• August 7, 2021, birder Steve Gent noticed bulldozer activity that seemed to be in the prairie. He called Dan Williams, founder of Sinnissippi Audubon Society and a former NLI Board member, who then called NLI.
• August 8 – NLI and DNR staff went to the prairie and found both the damage and, as luck would have it, the Federal-Endangered rusty-patch bumble bee. That find led to the reopening of the DNR consultation process by August 13^th and at some point a halt to bulldozing, until November 1^st. 
• September 20 – a Rockford Park District Commissioner went to the airport, talked to the engineering contractor, and took a photo of plans, showing a road through the prairie.
• September 21 – concerned that not enough was being done, Mark Blassage, member of NLI and nature photographer, started a Save Bell Bowl Prairie Facebook page. 
• September 21 – volunteer Jennifer Kuroda of Sinnissippi Audubon (a single parent with a full-time job) had yard signs printed, distributed them, and posted an important appeal on Facebook. Updated since then, that post drew 63 comments and 566 shares.
• September 22 – NLI sent a first alert about Bell Bowl Prairie to a mailing list. 
• September 23 – Alerted conservationists asked to be heard at a Greater Rockford Airport Board Meeting. The board allowed only three people to speak, and for only two minutes each. Jack White, Lee Johnson, and Paul Baits (NLI Board President) spoke and opposed the plan. 

It seemed obvious to all that the Airport officials were not listening and had every intention of going ahead with what conservationists had believed to be unthinkable. That meeting was a needed wake-up call. The prairie now seemed doomed to death by a thousand cuts, or perhaps quicker. 

The “Save Bell Bowl” Facebook page had been set up “to provide a place for public information and respectful discussion.” It had been good, but a bit quiet, and not deeply detailed.

 
Part 2. An Uprising
 
On September 26, Jack White wrote the following email to me (Stephen Packard, who publishes this blog). Until I heard from Jack, I hadn’t heard a word about Bell Bowl Prairie in decades. 

Steve,

Do you know that Bell Bowl Prairie is in immediate jeopardy?

It's on Facebook.

Jack

Jack White, a highly respected natural areas ecologist, is not normally seen as anything remotely like a ‘political activist’. He had given objective testimony, and the Airport Authority had seemed to yawn. Packard then reached out to many, including the young leadership of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves (the Friends). 
 
On September 27, this blog published Biodiversity vs. the Bulldozer.
 
On September 28, Chris Benda sent out an alert to the list of the Illinois Native Plant Society. 
 

Now the news began to spread explosively. (See Endnote 2 - Call in the Advocates!)

On September 30, cassi saari sent a note “From the organizers” announcing a meeting “tonight at 5PM.” A whirlwind of internet initiatives and in-person meetings began to “swirl up a storm” as some saw it, fortunately. NLI, Audubon, Friends, and others began to hold weekly public meeting in person and via Zoom. Smaller working groups formed to plan and strategize.
 
On October 1, cassi saari published a blog post consolidating known facts about Bell Bowl and spurring people to take specific action. 

By October 2, cassi saari had created a Bell Bowl Prairie entry on Wikipedia. 

Over the next few days, Katie Kucera worked with cassi to set up an impressive new Save Bell Bowl Prairie website. They rapidly populated it with critically important details, harvested from their research, the Facebook page, an excellent technical summary by Jack White, an alternative project design, and much more. Simple messages and address-lists of officials helped fuel a growing storm. This website effectively got people together “so that everyone was not communicating around the periphery” but knew the basic facts, as they emerged … and knew who to contact about what. As Katie wrote: 

The website maintained rapidly-changing, up-to-date facts, issues, message points that needed to be emphasized, and names and addresses of the most important people to call or write or request action from through the media.
 
I set up the structure of the website and gathered content that was available at the time from cassi's blog post, NLI, news articles, social media images, etc. We edited the text initially to be presentable to a broader audience, and I created a resources page to house documents, videos, meeting notes, and photos of the prairie for additional reference. I also created a header section on the homepage of the website to host the most pressing bits of information, including public meeting times, a link to an IEC (Illinois Environmental Council) action alert, and a countdown to the (soon to be) canceled GRAA (Greater Rockford Airport Authority) board meeting on Oct. 28, etc.
 
During this time I also promoted the website as a place where people could access information in an organized way and, more importantly, discover ways they could help. There are three redundant links on the website homepage that lead people to the "What Can I Do?" section.  After the initial creation of the website, I/we merged cassi’s initial list of officials to contact with Bell Bowl concern, with Christos Economou’s list of Key Talking Points that would help people figure out what they might want to say when they reached out to officials.

Others prepared text and email addresses for posting on the website so that activists could easily send key messages to U. S. Fish & Wildlife and other officials. One leader later commented: "The savebellbowlprairie Web site was key, obviously. At first I thought that it would compete with or detract from NLI's Web page, or something -- I'm not sure what my concern was ..." but the outpouring of energy and effectiveness was beyond what any one organization could provide or control.

 
A new generation of conservationists raced to discover how to do what was needed. Christos Economou drafted a compelling letter with fresh language that was circulated widely and became a model for many more. Several expert volunteers including Elsa and Sally de Becker closely reviewed the Environmental Assessment for flaws and sifted through FOIA documents to piece together the key players and history of the project’s approval process. They concluded that “not only was the destruction appalling, but it was also unjust and in violation of multiple laws.” That technical analysis was key to good strategy, message points, and ultimately the lawsuit.
 
Amy Doll, the director of the new Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves, quickly saw an overall Nature Preserves failure. Bell Bowl should have been highlighted years ago as an “Area of Commission Concern.” Bell Bowl was part of a broader statewide problem. Especially during the Blagojevich and Rauner administrations, the once-national-model Illinois Nature Preserves System (and governing Commission) slid into serious decline. Preserves deteriorated. Key staff jobs were left unfilled. “Areas of Commission Concern” had fewer backers with influence and commitment. Thus a weakened conservation infrastructure dropped the ball in its Bell Bowl “review and consultation” role. No natural area of such high significance had been destroyed by a public agency since the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory (supervised by Jack White) had authoritatively identified them. Many precious sites had been threatened, but certainly no conservation officials had proposed digging up or removing a few plants as a solution. (In the long term, strong public support for conservation agencies and organizations is crucial if they are to succeed.) 

Bell Bowl and social media opened many new eyes, and those eyes were needed. Illinois had been a national and global leader of biodiversity conservation in the 1970s. In harmony with that fact, perhaps, today many of the recognized leaders are now in their sixties or older. In the new Friends group, many leaders are a generation or two younger, and indeed many folks who played key roles in Bell Bowl are in their twenties and thirties. Some of the previous generation conservation leaders are in awe of the effectiveness of the team that emerged. Cassi and Katie on social media and the website never skipped a beat and worked tirelessly; you could always go to the website at any moment and know everything you need to know. Jennifer Kuroda of Sinnissippi Audubon sparked much local work and was a fount of knowledge on the situation and players. Amy Doll of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves offered layers of public agency expertise and was an excellent mediator and strategic leader. Laura Stamp led the effort to publicize the Days of Action, focused on calling and emailing certain leaders each day of the week—Instagram, Facebook, Twitter  ...  and lots more social media for other efforts as they came along ... culminating in the rally. The NLI board and staff funded the lawsuit and provided fine leadership, especially once the force of the coalition was behind them. But it was the grassroots efforts that provided the burst of energy. People from all walks of life doing what they could, using their gifts and talents. The energy was contagious.

People around Illinois (and others from as far away as California) were creating Bell Bowl graphics, messages, researching, and debating strategy. Liz Anna Kozik and many other artists created widely shared comics and illustrations demonstrating the beauty, ecology, and importance of the prairie. 
 
Jen Kuroda and others got nationally recognized people and organizations like Clay Bolt, NRDC, Xerces Society, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, and Earthjustice involved and speaking out. An action alert sent to all relevant North American prairie conservation organizations sought help from them. 
 
If anyone had any doubts, this was no longer a minor issue but one of statewide and national importance. 
 
On October 13^th, a first spark of high-profile hope emerged in a poetic Tribune article by the Morton Arboretum’s “creative conservationist” Robbie Telfer. The article begins as a lament or a funeral dirge: “Annihilation … unfortunately … will be destroyed.” But then, as if involuntarily, hope creeps in as he writes: “Put the buildings somewhere else.” “Anyone know how to sue an airport? … “we can call elected officials … sign petitions.” Telfer ends: “Save Bell Bowl Prairie.” Much other media followed.

The Illinois Environmental Council (IEC) responded to requests from NLI and Matt Evans – long a member of the IEC young professionals board and the founding president of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves. The savvy IEC soon was helping citizens circulate effective messages to lawmakers including local Rockford area elected officials, Senator Durbin, and Governor Pritzker. 

On October 14^th, at an Openlands gala in Chicago honoring Senator Dick Durbin, activists from Rising Tide Chicago interrupted and briefly stopped the proceedings with a huge banner, signs, and shouts about Bell Bowl Prairie. Durbin graciously said, once order was restored, "I used to carry these banners, so I'm not gonna be critical of these folks."

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuttU17ZYT0 at around minute 49.

Rallies, Media, and Public Opinion

As these rapidly unfolding skirmishes proceeded, effective use of the Internet was critical. At the same time, for local groups, public meetings were also important. Some complained that “talking to each other was replacing effective action.” Others said the strategy debates were needed for a coordinated approach. Many participants demanded that someone take legal action. Indeed, NLI's allies and supporters had quietly been working with NLI to explore legal action. A volunteer started the process of filing Freedom of Information requests, and NLI started that process as well. 

On October 15^th, as the bulldozing deadline grew closer, landscape architect Domenico D'Alessandro offered an alternative graphic plan and gave an influential speech at a Bell Bowl Public Meeting. According to Domenico, "The group proved very resourceful with posting documents, maps, and other discoveries that truly benefitted my own efforts." In turn, others described the plan as a welcome addition in expertise, inspiration, and solution. 

Previously, quietly, NLI had assembled a design team (including professionals Rebecca Olson, Steve Apfelbaum, and Dennis Dreher, a well respected expert in green infrastructure.). This group discussed and developed design alternative recommendations that could allow the project to go forward with an alternative design approach that could avoid the prairie. These alternative design guidelines could also facilitate collaborative interaction with the Airport Authority. (See Endnote 8.)

On October 25th, another compelling Trib article appeared by regular columnist Rex Huppke. It was syndicated widely around the country. Huppke wrote: “There is no gray area here. When faced with destroying one of the few remaining patches of native Illinois prairie or LITERALLY WIPING IT OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET TO MAKE YOUR AIRPORT A LITTLE BIGGER, the right answer — morally, ecologically and even from a public relations standpoint — is to save the patch of prairie.” But the Airport responded, as Huppke put it, with “blah blah blah.”

Volunteers compiled legal details and found lawyers willing to take the case. NLI came up with funds to initiate the suit and took the legal responsibility on their shoulders. “That’s why George Fell created this organization,” one board member said. Thus, in NLI’s name the law firm von Briesen & Roper supported by attorney Albert Ettinger filed suit, requesting injunctive relief, after only 11 days of preparation. 

On October 27^th a group of twenty respected scientists, historians, biographers, conservation leaders, authors, and cultural luminaries signed and submitted a formal emergency request to the U. S. Council on Environmental Quality - calling for the CEQ to place a ban on any activity that would harm Bell Bowl Prairie “until a proper environmental review can be performed."

On October 27^th, an undisclosed staffer (see Endnote 5) with the U.S. Fish&Wildlife Service called an undisclosed activist with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves during a Save Bell Bowl planning meeting and asked why they were getting so many angst-fllled calls about something that was already history. Wasn’t this over? Airport officials had apparently called Fish&Wildlife to say that the Airport had completed the work that would impact Bell Bowl Prairie. The official asked, “Why are people’s names being dragged through the mud supposedly to prevent something that’s already happened? Unless you’re looking at plans we haven’t seen?” By that point, the activists had Freedom of Information Act documents showing that the airport intended to destroy the entire prairie for a stormwater retention basin, a road, and a building. “We emailed those the documents to them”  

On October 28^th, a rally was planned for the airport. When rain was predicted, someone sent out word that the rally was cancelled. Others argued strenuously that the rally should go ahead and recruited people for it. As assembled media recorded twenty-five people protesting in the rain, an airport security fellow approached the demonstrators. People expected expulsion. Instead they were handed a sort of peace offering. It was a victory, if temporary. It said the Airport Authority would: 

- not resume the bulldozing on November 1^st. 

- redesign its plan to remove the detention basin from the prairie

- reopen consultation with Federal Aviation Administration and US Fish & Wildlife Service.

That rain-stained press release (graced by Amy Doll’s thumb , as she sent it to supporters not in the rain) is shown below:

Note that the release says nothing about moving the road or buildings that would destroy the functional integrity of the prairie. We can assume that such questions are a matter for negotiation.

The injunction sought by NLI was set aside once the Airport had filed a legal document committing not to bulldoze the prairie before March 1. But few trust the Airport Authority at this point. The remainder of the legal case NLI filed is still before the US Court in the Northern District of Illinois. It charges that the Airport Authority, U.S. Dept of Transportation, the FAA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not comply with the detailed regulatory framework set out to protect such precious resources as Bell Bowl Prairie and its flora, fauna, and ecosystem. 

NLI has still has not received their FOI info from Fish&Wildlife and the Federal Aviation Administration. A monitoring schedule has been set up for people willing to drive by from time to time and check on the prairie – and the bulldozers. The Greater Rockport Airport Authority has stated that they do not plan to avoid the prairie when it resumes work in March, but they admit that they need to consult with state and federal agencies per permitting requirements. 

Part 3. The next Battle Plan (and a Peace Plan)

As one leader put it after the "victory" on Oct. 28:

 “I don't think that we can assume or trust or act like the airport is any more cooperative or responsible than in the past.”

We continue to need multifaceted strategies. Without oversight, prairie destruction could proceed from indirect causes, such as erosion from other work, or contractors who cross poorly marked boundaries. We need to ensure that commitments are made to regulatory and funding agencies that all construction is redesigned to avoid the prairie. We need to keep tabs on FAA and Fish & Wildlife (pay attention to their Public Notices and make sure we have their documents). They seem to have failed in some of their responsibilities so far. They ought to redeem themselves with on-the-ground study, clear decisions, transparent process, and effective care for public benefits, both economic and environmental. 

The lawsuit did not include the Illinois Departments of Transportation and Natural Resources (DOT and DNR); they are both still culpable in various ways. We should be asking/inquiring how DNR might correct poor judgements made under the Rauner administration. (DNR has no legal authority in a case like this, but they have power to influence federal decisions and the Illinois purse. The Governor has major power. Most of the Airport work is funded by Illinois bonds, which is taxpayer money.)

To promote a restored practice of public agency responsibility that includes transparency and reasonable public participation, people who care must continue to act. And more should get involved. The Friends, NLI, and Audubon have listed needs for letters, calls, social media, and mass media to focus on the agencies below:

• The Federal Aviation Administration has both legal and regulatory authority to permit, pause, or stop the work in question. They have failed to be informed by a full and competent Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). They should announce a process by which they will get back into compliance with the law and their public responsibilities. The Illinois governor, senators, and representatives should press them to do this right. The public should make our voices heard.
• The U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service also has both legal and regulatory authority to permit, pause, or stop the work in question. They too have failed and should announce a process by which they will get back into compliance with the law and their public responsibilities. Ask the for updates. 
• The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has powerful influence. They reopened their consultation after the endangered rusty patch bumble bee was found on August 13. Now they need to do something with it. Decision-makers need more information on some key species and, perhaps more importantly, DNR needs to clarify that the principal public ecological resource here is the ecosystem – the “Natural Area” – the living community of plants and animals as identified by the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory. It was a mistake to suggest that digging up and moving a few rare plants would compensate for overall ecosystem destruction and increased fragmentation. Ask them to update their position on Bell Bowl Prairie. 
• Inform Save Bell Bowl Prairie, NLI, the Friends, and/or Audubon when you hear back from any of these decision-makers. More info will help strategies advance. 

Send updates to all agencies from time to time with updated messages and details available at Save Bell Bowl Prairie – which also provides addresses for key individuals and agencies. 

A number of companies are also potentially influential. These include Amazon, United Parcel Service, DB Schenker, and Senator International which Rockford Airport Authority hopes will provide additional business, jobs, and profits. These companies can be swayed toward supporting the civic good by public comment. They should announce that they would be more likely to patronize an expanded airport if the expansion were done with environmental responsibility. 

For all the above, improved Airport design alternatives are key. (See Endnote 7.)

On November 16^th, Governor JB Pritzker made headlines as he visited Rockford Airport and seemed to advocate for Bell Bowl Prairie:

I believe that as we fight for our climate, our environment, that we can also do so while creating jobs, that we don’t need to have a trade-off here.” 

The Governor should be thanked by many. Yes, we can have both. That message has been central to the conservation argument from the beginning. Jobs yes. Prairie yes. There need not be a trade-off. The surviving prairie is just 14 acres of a 3,000-acre airport. A great many acres of open land are adjacent to the airport. Buildings and roads don’t have to be put on the prairie. The prairie should be dedicated permanently as an Illinois Nature Preserve. A redesigned plan may cost more, especially as some existing construction would have to be redone. The Airport should bear the cost of correcting its more egregious missteps. The federal and state governments should help the airport as needed and appropriate – when the airport does the right thing. Active and strong public support for Bell Bowl Prairie now is crucial to that good outcome. 

Next steps: Communications are key: getting the word out clearly, effectively, and continually. Being truthful inspired energy and action. People will answer the call for help. 

Endnotes

Endnote 1

It’s said that the news is “the first draft of history.” This account is a very poor second draft. The Bell Bowl Prairie struggle may be a landmark in biodiversity conservation. It deserves analysis and good history. If you’re a historian (as I am definitively not), please help. If you can contribute to an improved “third draft” – which I’m happy to publish here, please send improvements, important details, and whatever. 

Endnote 2 - Call in the Advocates!

Some examples of how the "uprising" spread: When botanist Elsa de Becker received the alert from Chris Benda (and having already seen on iNaturalist that Bell Bowl was threatened) Elsa forwarded the alert to her mother Sally de Becker.  de Becker contacted Jill Kennay at NLI to obtain more background. NLI has vast experience with stewardship and land acquisition but less recent focus on conservation advocacy. de Becker then contacted Nicole Saulsberry of Sierra Club - Illinois to find out who would be able to help out with advocacy. Saulsberry suggested contacting Illinois Environmental Council, Lindsay Keeney. Soon Keeney, de Becker, and NLI Executive Director Kerry Leigh produced an action alert for IEC’s website plus graphics for Social Media. NLI passed the Draft Environmental Assessment (from DOT/ FAA - dated August 2019) to Elsa de Becker, who immediately began to review the document and found that it stated that state-listed endangered Large-flowered Beard Tongue (Penstemon grandiflorus) is not present in the Bell Bowl. She then found on iNaturalist a record of this species on the Bell Bowl site and quickly notified NLI and Amy Doll at Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves that the Environmental Assessment was incorrect. What else might be wrong? 

Penstemon grandiflorus - large flowered beardtongue

Neither professional nor amateur botanists would likely miss large-flowered beardtongue in bloom. Perhaps it was not in bloom when the EA assessor visited. In the case of a site as important as Bell Bowl, would it not make sense for the EA team to check with others - or ask for a review by knowledgeable people before issuing the decision? 

Endnote 3

We also asked as we went, what could we have done better … and do better in the future? Some of us thought that we could have been better at unifying and focusing our ‘multiple factions’. The "whole" of the mission should have one focused message. Many criticized DNR for offering to move plants if the destruction was to proceed. It was called “demoralizing and defeatist” by some – while others supported this “worst case scenario” planning. And why didn't the word get circulated sooner? But the greatest criticisms focused on the Airport Authority, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Illinois Department of Transportation and whoever was responsible for early consultation process within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 

Endnote 4

Another lesson for the future: Our conservation groups need to step up and realize that EVERY state and federal agency is doing environmental reviews for hundreds or thousands of projects per year, without ever leaving their desks. It’s easy to fault them, but there’s not yet sufficient support for enough staff and funding for them to do much better. Whether the ecosystem gets proper respect and care in this process depends more on us. This information is considered public and yet our conservation groups don't sufficiently keep track of agency "Public Notice" websites or get on lists to be notified of them. Many don't even know these notices exist or that we as the public are supposed to be participating for our own public interests. We should develop a strategy and find the people who are good at this – just as we find people who are good and find fulfillment by braving mosquitos and more to cut brush and monitor rare and endangered species. We also have to be on top of what’s going on in Springfield and at the Federal level.

Endnote 5

Some people talked or wrote to me for this post with the understanding that their names not be disclosed. Being active for conservation, it seems, could negatively impact current (or hoped for) conservation jobs. This seems so backwards. Many DNR staff said they had to be careful not to take sides. Why? Does the Dept. of Commerce not take sides in support of commerce? Doesn’t our system work by balancing competing values and needs? Is it only the conservationists who are not supposed to work for the interests they’re hired to promote and foster? Do we, the public who cares for the ecosystem, biodiversity, and the future … do we not have the ability to inspire our elected officials to champion wise conservation and support effective conservation staff? 

Endnote 6 - Partners

Since 1977, the Natural Land Institute in Rockford along with volunteers and staff from other land management agencies, including the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Forest Preserves of Winnebago County, Rockford Parks District, Boone County Conservation District, and Byron Forest Preserve District have collectively participated in the management of Bell Bowl Prairie with some level of activity occurring every year, including invasives reduction, brush control, and burns.

Endnote 7 - design alternatives

The NLI recommended that the Airport Authority follow the Kishwaukee River Corridor Green Infrastructure Plan. Some provisions taken from that plan were included in the lawsuit. 

Reasonable Alternatives to the Proposed Action (from NLI vs. GRAA lawsuit)

116. There are a number of site designs and engineering approaches that could substantially reduce the required footprint of the Proposed Action, and thereby reduce the need to impact Bell Bowl Prairie. See Ex. D (Declaration of Domenico D’Alessandro).

117. All of the parking lots (and perhaps a portion of the roadways) could be designed with permeable paving. Storm water detention for the entire site could potentially be (33 Case: 3:21-cv-50410 Document #: 1 Filed: 10/26/21 Page 34 of 44 PageID #:34) accommodated by over-sizing the storage in the void spaces in the permeable paving sub-base, thereby eliminating the need for a stand-alone detention basin.

118. Onsite landscape areas could be considered for rain gardens and bioswales, thereby providing an opportunity to infiltrate and filter polluted runoff before it is routed to detention storage underlying the permeable paving.

119. Consideration could also be given to utilizing green roofs for proposed buildings to reduce storm water runoff and associated detention basin capacity.

120. Design criteria could be evaluated to look for opportunities to reduce the size and dimensions of parking lots and roadways. In particular, it is known that roadway width criteria and parking lot sizing (e.g., the number of parking stalls and their dimensions) often are very conservative leading to over-sized facilities.

121. These green infrastructure design approaches would then allow space for the building to be sited to avoid impacts to Bell Bowl Prairie. These types of green infrastructure and innovative site design approaches are broadly referenced in the Kishwaukee Corridor Green Infrastructure Plan that was developed for the multi-thousand acre landscape immediately east of RFD. This plan also discusses the economic benefits and tradeoffs in implementing green infrastructure design approaches. These green infrastructure policies and site design concepts were widely shared with local government officials from Rockford, Winnebago County and neighboring jurisdictions and the concepts are relevant to the Proposed Action.

Dismal Post Script

The center of Bell bowl Prairie was bulldozed by Rockford Airport in March 2023.

 Acknowledgements

This post was drafted by many, with contributions by Jennifer Kuroda, Jill Kennay, cassi saari, Katie Kucera, Sally de Becker and many, many others. Most language above was provided to this blog by the participants. They credit important advisors on science, especially Jack White and Marlin Bowles. This post tries to reflect many varied viewpoints. Though a team effort, the blame for the words accepted for this post falls on Stephen Packard. 

Thanks to Eriko Kojima for proofing and edits.