At the last minute ... the bulldozers having stopped short of the edge of Bell Bowl Prairie ... barely a day before the destruction was scheduled to begin. A rally - held despite rain - in support of the prairie. Attended by "twenty to twenty-five" chilled-to-the-bone but dedicated Rockford and regional conservation advocates.
Then:
A uniformed man came out of the guardhouse with papers. People expected some sort of writ forbidding their presence.
Instead, he handed out a benediction. The rain-spattered press release (see below) represented a step toward healing. The work that would have destroyed prairie is suspended until at least next spring. A commitment is made to redesign the project. Assembled media and conservationists went home with news, and happy.
The Airport officials deserve thanks and credit for this step.
We who care for this biodiversity and for the planet need now to collaborate with local, state, and federal officials to promote twin goals: a redesigned airport project that everyone can be proud of - and permanent protection of this irreplaceable millennia-old living ecosystem of plants, animals, and rare, barely-understood smaller biota in the soil.
Credit for the turn-around goes to scores of generous, creative, and forward-thinking advocates of all ages. That story should be told. It's a great and inspiring one. This blog will seek to tell that story here, trying to determine what went wrong and what ultimately succeeded . For now, this part of this history is a celebration.
Thanks to Kathy Garness for proofing and edits.
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