Environmentalists fight to save Bell Bowl Prairie

Environmental advocates are racing to try and save the Bell Bowl Prairie, a rare swath of Illinois prairie scheduled for destruction as part of the Chicago Rockford International Airport expansion. 

Why it matters: It's part of just .0001% of prairie land remaining in the state.

• It supports a fragile ecosystem of endangered plant and animal life, including the black-billed cuckoo, the large-flowered penstemon and an important pollinator called the rusty patched bumblebee.
• Construction was halted when the bumblebee was spotted on the land this summer but is set to resume on Nov. 1.

The latest: Prairie advocate and Natural Land Institute executive director Kerry Leigh urged airport authorities to consider environmental mitigations such as permeable road surfaces to retain storm water in the area.

• Environmental advocates have sent thousands of letters to elected officials and a petition to Gov. JB Pritzker.

What they're saying: Prairie supporters floated an alternate concept Tuesday to redesign the path of the airport road to reduce wildlife destruction. But so far, Leigh tells Axios they have heard "nothing back."

• "We assume airport officials will not respond," Leigh said. "And it makes me sad that they do not understand the value of what's here."

The other side: Airport officials tell Axios they completed all of the environmental assessments required to build on the land and are working to relocate endangered plants, including the large-flowered beardtongue, prairie dandelion, prickly pear, aromatic aster and others.