Endangered bumblebee is blocking Ill. airport expansion that will destroy rare prairie — but only for another week

A federally endangered bumblebee has temporarily saved one of Illinois' rarest prairies from the bulldozer, but only until Nov. 1.

Meanwhile, biologists and conservationists are working to convince the prairie’s owner, the Chicago Rockford International Airport, to change its plans for a roughly 280-acre expansion that would go through the heart of the Bell Bowl Prairie in Winnebago County.

This 5-acre virgin gravel prairie is part of only 18.4 acres of this type of prairie left in the state, according to the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory.

Bell Bowl Prairie contains at least 164 species of plants, many of which are rare, and birders have found rare nesting birds such as the grasshopper sparrow.

“It’s like having a 500-year-old ancient, grandfather clock and saying, ‘I’m going to tear it up and throw it in the fireplace so I can roast marshmallows,’ ” said Randy Nyboer, a recently retired ecologist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Natural History Survey.

Work has begun on the multimillion dollar airport expansion, which includes building a new cargo center and expanding cargo ramps