Rockford airport authority agrees to delay construction at Bell Bowl Prairie

ROCKFORD — Construction that was slated to resume at Bell Bowl Prairie Nov. 1 as part of a $50 million expansion at the Chicago Rockford International Airport will remain suspended until next spring.

The Natural Land Institute confirmed Friday that the Greater Rockford Airport Authority's decision to pause the project until March 1 is a binding agreement.

Airport officials announced Thursday that they are in the process of redesigning plans to place a detention basin within the 25-acre prairie and looking at how those plans will impact the endangered rusty-patched bumble bees, found on Bell Bowl last August.

Natural Land Institute Executive Director Kerry Leigh said she is pleased with the pact but isn't ready to say that the fight to save Bell Bowl is over.

Previously:Battle to save ancient prairie from Rockford airport expansion heads to court

Leigh said while the airport authority has agreed to examine the bumble bee population and build the basin elsewhere, it still plans to construct a service road that would be harmful to Bell Bowl.

"The road has started, and it's going to be going through the highest quality portion of the prairie," Leigh said during a video conference call with the Illinois Environmental Council, adding that she plans to keep the door open for further legal action.

The National Land Institute brought a lawsuit against the airport authority Tuesday, asking a federal judge for 14 days to present a more comprehensive plan for the project.

A Friday hearing date in the case was cancelled after airport officials announced they were hitting the pause button until spring.

Leigh said the Natural Land Institute still plans to serve the airport authority and other defendants with a complaint that accuses them of violating the Endangered Species Act and other conservation acts.

Photos: Protecting the Bell Bowl Prairie during Rockford airport expansion

Opinion: Rockford airport can be the hero and save the Bell Bowl Prairie with proposed solutions

Zack Oakley, Greater Rockford Airport Authority's deputy director of operations and planning, said in a release Thursday the airport will meet all requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources before construction resumes.

"We will continue to work with the FAA, IDNR, and the USFWS to ensure the project continues and we can plan and develop in compliance with the federal and state regulations for the endangered species,” Oakley said.

Whether the service road will be re-sited isn't known.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin released a statement Thursday afternoon, urging conservationists and the airport authority to come to a sensible compromise.

“I continue to encourage both sides to meet on a solution that is in the best interest of the environment, regional jobs, and economic development," Durbin said. "Today’s announcement is a good first step."

More:Bumblebees, cuckoos among endangered wildlife group wants to save at Rockford airport

The $50 million dollar cargo expansion also includes a 90,000 square-foot cargo facility that opened in June, a 100,000 square-foot cargo facility expected to open next year, a parking ramp for six 747 jets. It is expected to generate up to 600 jobs.

Jim Hagerty is a freelance correspondent.