Bell Bowl Prairie Rally and Press Conference March 8, 2023
Bell Bowl Prairie advocates held a rally and press conference on Wed., Mar. 8, 2023 to express gratitude to everyone who has been working to save the 8,000 year old prairie located on the grounds of the Chicago Rockford International Airport since fall of 2021. David Stocker opened up the rally with song that provided inspiration and a feeling of mutual connection with the shared goal of attendees who believe in the importance of saving the rare ecosystem at Bell Bowl Prairie. Jillian Neece from Friends of Illinois Nature Preserve welcomed and thanked everyone from showing up for the prairie and provided some background on the effort to #savebellbowlprairie. Natural Land Institute's Kerry Leigh talked about their lawsuit with the FAA for violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and said they filed an emergency motion to stay (to stop the airport from bulldozing the prairie), and provided a timeline of legal actions. The Reverend Frank Langholf from Emmanuel Lutheran Church offered supportive words and prayer in support of the prairie. Cynthia Kanner, Ex. Dir. of Prairie State Conservation Coalition shared comments and Robbie Telfer from Friends of Illinois Nature Preservers wrapped up the press conference and rally.
Bell Bowl Prairie advocates held a rally and press conference on Wed., Mar. 8, 2023 to express gratitude to everyone who has been working to save the 8,000 year old prairie located on the grounds of the Chicago Rockford International Airport since fall of 2021. David Stocker opened up the rally with song that provided inspiration and a feeling of mutual connection with the shared goal of attendees who believe in the importance of saving the rare ecosystem at Bell Bowl Prairie. Jillian Neece from Friends of Illinois Nature Preserve welcomed and thanked everyone from showing up for the prairie and provided some background on the effort to #savebellbowlprairie. Natural Land Institute's Kerry Leigh talked about their lawsuit with the FAA for violating the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and said they filed an emergency motion to stay (to stop the airport from bulldozing the prairie), and provided a timeline of legal actions. The Reverend Frank Langholf from Emmanuel Lutheran Church offered supportive words and prayer in support of the prairie. Cynthia Kanner, Ex. Dir. of Prairie State Conservation Coalition shared comments and Robbie Telfer from Friends of Illinois Nature Preservers wrapped up the press conference and rally.