Your input is needed on a proposed tollway project that will traverse prime farmland, and several rivers and streams to connect I-65 near Lowell, Indiana to I-55 near Wilmington, Illinois. The 47-mile project–dubbed the Illiana Corridor–poses several potential environmental impacts. An Environmental Impact Statement that was completed in 2012 revealed the project will likely result in the destruction of wetlands, impacts to drainage, pollution of several rivers and streams, disruption of wildlife migration corridors, and disturbances to high-quality public and private natural areas. Let your concerns for the region’s invaluable land and water resources be heard by submitting comments here, or by directly contacting the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Map credit: Illinois Department of Transportation

You can also learn more about the proposed project, by attending an open house on Tuesday night. There you’ll be able to speak one-on-one with representatives from the Department of Transportation. Let your concerns be heard!

Here are the details:

What: Informational open house to discuss the proposed Illiana Corridor Tollway project

Who: Hosted by Illinois & Indiana Departments of Transportation

When: Tuesday, June 18th,  5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Peotone High School, 605 West North Street, Peotone, IL 60468

Tomorrow afternoon, the LaSalle County Board will vote on a resolution to place a temporary moratorium on new silica sand mining operations. The county is currently working to update its Comprehensive Plan, a document they regularly rely upon to make land-use decisions. The moratorium will not only (temporarily) stop new mines from going in, but will also allow community members to weigh in on the plan revision and future zoning restrictions that protect unique and special places in the area. That’s the good news.

Unfortunately, the resolution will not retroactively change past land-use decisions, particularly one that involves a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, open-pit silica mine next to Illinois’ most-visited state park. Although the moratorium will not stop the mine adjacent to Starved Rock State Park, if passed, it could open a constructive dialogue about the implications of widespread silica mining on land use, public health, and the environment. If you live in LaSalle County, and you’re concerned about the impacts of silica mining, tell your local elected officials to vote in favor of the moratorium.

**Updated on April 12, 2013:

Temporary moratorium passes!

The Times: Environmentalists laud county sand mine moratorium (April 12, 2013)

Failed to Comply with Legal Requirements in Permit Review Process

Springfield, IL – On December 12th, the Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, and Openlands filed a complaint in Circuit Court in Springfield, Illinois demanding judicial review of a massive open pit silica sand mining permit granted to Mississippi Sand, LLC by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Office of Mines and Minerals. The complaint alleges that IDNR failed to protect Starved Rock State Park—one of the most beautiful and popular state parks in Illinois—when it approved an 80-acre open pit mine to harvest and process silica sand for use in the hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking”) natural gas extraction process. The permit clears the way for Mississippi Sand, LLC to start blasting the sand, mining it to about 80 feet over the span of 10 years, leaving a large reclamation lake on the site.

About the Complaint

The 24-page complaint alleges that the Office of Mines and Minerals failed to follow state law—as well as its own guidelines—in reviewing the permit for Mississippi Sand, LLC’s permit. Mississippi Sand provided incomplete and inaccurate information in its mining permit application to the Office of Mines and Minerals. The Office of Mines and Minerals approved its reclamation plan and map, even though Mississippi Sand couldn’t follow certain parts of it within the approved mining area. The Office of Mines and Minerals didn’t fully consider 13 factors that address natural resource impacts, including the short and long term impact of the proposed mining on vegetation, wildlife, fish, land use, land values, local tax base, the economy of the region and the State, employment opportunities, air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, noise pollution, and drainage, as required by the Surface Mined Land Conservation and Reclamation Act and its regulations. The Office of Realty and Environmental Planning didn’t perform a proper natural areas consultation under the Illinois Natural Areas Preservation Act. As a result the Office of Mines and Minerals made an arbitrary and capricious decision by issuing the permit. For this reason, Sierra Club, Prairie Rivers Network, and Openlands are asking the Sangamon County Court to void the mining permit.

Concerned citizens protest the proposed mine earlier this year

About the Potential Effects of the Mine

The operation would erode the natural value of the park for both people and wildlife, as well as tarnish a major driver of the local economy. The mine will pump up to five million gallons a day of water from its operation and stormwater into Horseshoe Creek, which runs through Starved Rock State Park. Introducing that much water will likely cause damage to Horseshoe Creek and destroy its low-flow ecosystem.

Despite their concerns, local residents were not allowed an opportunity to speak formally with the Office of Mines and Minerals. In not considering the opinions and impacts to local citizens, the Office of Mines and Minerals neglected to consider the full, long-term impacts for this mine with respect to how it will impact adjacent landowners and local businesses that depend on the health and natural beauty of the area.

“The granting of this permit highlights the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ inherently conflicting roles of promoting conservation and permitting natural resource extraction,” said Elliot Brinkman, Habitat Conservation Specialist with Prairie Rivers Network. “Until these roles are reconciled, we can expect to see IDNR’s Office of Mines and Minerals continue to allow risky mining projects that jeopardize the special places and resources the Department holds in public trust.”

“If the permitting process followed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources can fail at Starved Rock State Park, our premier state park, it can fail anywhere,” said Openlands president Jerry Adelmann. “IDNR has long been, and will continue to be, a valued partner of Openlands and many other conservation organizations in Illinois. However, in granting this permit, the Office of Mines and Minerals did not adhere to procedures required by state law, and this forced us to stand up for what we believe through this action.”

“Starved Rock is one of the crown jewels of Illinois’ state park system, and we count on IDNR to protect it for future generations,” said Jack Darin, Director of Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “It is not only a very special place to people from all over Illinois, but an important economic asset for Illinois River valley communities.”

The plaintiffs are represented by Mark Templeton and students of the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic of the University of Chicago Law School, Albert Ettinger (Chicago), and Eric Schwing (Springfield).

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CONTACT:
Cindy Skrukrud, Sierra Club Illinois Chapter: (312) 251-1680 x110, 815-353-5123 (cell)
Elliot Brinkman, Prairie Rivers Network: (217) 344 – 2371 x 202
Jerry Adelmann, Openlands: (312) 863-6260

Press Coverage (updated on February 7, 2013)

Read all about it in the Chicago Tribune here (PDF) and here (PDF), State Journal Register (Springfield) (PDF), Quad City Times (no link available), Bloomberg Businessweek (PDF), Rockford Register Star (PDF), WREX (Rockford, IL) (PDF), Illinois Valley News Tribune (no link available),  Peoria Journal Star (PDF), Fox 32 Chicago (no link available), Chicago City & Press (PDF), SaukValley.com (PDF), and The Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL) (PDF), The Republic (Columbus, IN) (PDF), and The Morris Daily Herald (Grundy County) (PDF).

Park Advocates Vow To Continue Fight to Protect “One of Illinois’ Most Special Places”

A Waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Mines and Minerals (IDNR – OMM) has given the go-ahead to a controversial open pit mine next to Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, despite objections from local residents and thousands of Illinois residents.

“Starved Rock is one of Illinois’ most special places, and we are disappointed that IDNR is approving a project that puts it at risk,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club.

The 80-acre open pit sand mine will be located at the east entrance to Starved Rock State Park. There is great concern about its impact on the park, one of Illinois’ top tourist attractions. Noise from nonstop mining and sand processing operations, water pollution from the mine into the park, silica sand dust in the air, the potential loss of Native American artifacts due to mining and the increased truck traffic on the Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway running past the mine site and through the park are among the many issues cited by local residents and park advocates. {Continue Reading »}

Today, thanks to diligent, long-term work to reduce pollution, protect wooded areas, and restore land along water bodies, the playful and very photogenic river otter is making a big comeback in Illinois!

Watch this mother river otter as she pulls out onto bank to call for pups, Middle Fork of the Vermilion River (Wabash basin), Illinois.

Once common, the river otter all but disappeared due to pollution, habitat destruction, and uncontrolled hunting. Then as conditions started to improve across the state, the Illinois DNR imported 350 otters from Louisiana, and populations took off. River otters can now be found throughout Illinois.

In fact, the river otter population is doing so well that the DNR has agreed to issue limited trapping licenses. A recent article in the LA Times describes how some aren’t so thrilled with the competition for fish and are making an argument for keeping the population in check.

“Sometimes our efforts have unanticipated consequences,” said Elliot Brinkman, Habitat Specialist, “but the recovery of the river otter should be viewed as an ecological success. The investments we make in the land and water now will continue to pay dividends for years to come.”

Photo credit: Dmitry Azovtsev, www.daphoto.info

Wildlife Habitat Fact Sheet Click on image to read or download

Healthy land makes for healthier, cleaner water! Wetlands, forests, and prairies help control flooding, filter pollution, prevent sediment from being washed downstream, and provide critical habitat for our state’s wildlife.

Prairie Rivers Network’s habitat specialist, Elliot Brinkman, works with private landowners, public land agencies, land trusts, and others to expand and connect the patchwork of natural lands and habitats across the state. The majority of Illinois’ wildlands are located along rivers and streams.

Prairie Rivers Network has actively worked with conservation partners to develop wildlife habitat management plans for portions of the Mississippi and Vermilion River watersheds. These plans reflect the shared goals and priorities of agencies and organizations in each area, and acts as a tool for reaching state conservation targets outlined in the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan. Through this work, we have recognized the need to promote conservation and responsible practices on private lands.

Ninety percent of land in Illinois is privately owned, which means that private lands conservation is critically important for clean water and habitat preservation.

Supported by a recent grant from the Grand Victoria Foundation, Prairie Rivers Network will draw on the best land conservation measures from across the country to craft policy-based solutions for Illinois.