Bell Bowl Prairie, one of the last remnant prairies in Illinois, is under threat of destruction by the Chicago Rockford International Airport expansion.
Rich and diverse prairies, developing only over millennia, once covered 22 million acres of Illinois. Today, less than 1/100th of one percent of that is left even partially intact, and each fragment that survives is unique. As part of that small percentage, Bell Bowl is irreplaceable.
The complex ecological associations that make this prairie special developed in its current location and cannot be reconstructed or transplanted.
The rusty-patched bumblebee, a federally listed endangered species, was recently discovered at Bell Bowl. Disturbing and removing the prairie will eliminate a diverse host of rare flowering plants not found in surrounding areas which the rusty-patched bumblebee depends on for forage. Continuing with work as planned will likely imperil this population and be a tremendous blow to a species that is in a precipitous decline.
One immediate action you can take to Save Bell Bowl Prairie is to complete this action alert that will be sent directly to JB Pritzker.
https://ilenviro.salsalabs.org/savebellbowlprairie/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=808efe88-f3a2-44af-a578-cbb5caf69860
Here is a link to some more information on Bell Bowl Prairie.
You can find the Save Bell Bowl Prairie Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/savebellbowlprairie.
Here is a link on some action items you can take to help save Bell Bowl Prairie!
Please help take action to Save Bell Bowl Prairie!