Bell Bowl Prairie, An Illinois Original
You may have heard of the Bell Bowl Prairie last year when the federally-endangered rusty patch bumblebee was found nesting there. The prairie was slated for demolition as part of the Rockford Airport expansion plan, but was temporarily saved after a series of interventions and statewide action alerts from concerned groups. This unique landscape contains some of the most intact and undisturbed natural plant communities found anywhere in the state of Illinois. It is once again being threatened as work is scheduled to begin March 1st or sooner. You can find action alerts, sample emails and call scripts to lawmakers, and a timeline of events here. Register for a Sierra Club program about the prairie and airport struggles here, to be held on Feb.10 at 7 PM.