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The Audubon Council of Illinois (ACI), which represents nine chapters of National Audubon and 52,000 members in Illinois, has concerns about the proposed airstrip expansion in Lake County at the Waukegan Airport.
The loss of natural areas due to habitat destruction is alarming. Last year, another airport expansion in Rockford, Illinois, bifurcated one of the last gravel prairies in our state. Illinois was once a great expanse of prairies, savannas, wetlands and woodlands. Connected habitats like these provided opportunities for a wide range of diverse species of plants, birds, insects, mammals, fungi and more to thrive.
Today, however, wildlife faces fragmented landscapes that cause barriers and obstacles rather than opportunities to thrive. In 2023, 21 species of birds and wildlife were removed from the endangered species list and officially declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We cannot continue to destroy habitat at the rate it is being destroyed!
We support natural areas being protected and preserved. We believe using 52 acres of forest preserve property to expand a runway is a poor use of land designated as natural space for the public. Forest preserves should be stewards of our land and not sell it off to other industries that will destroy native oaks and wetlands as part of an expansion. We oppose the proposed use of this land as an expanded airport runway.
Jennifer Kuroda, ACI board president