March 13, 2013
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County released plans
Monday for a trail and
bike path in Orland Grasslands, but some environmentalists say the project
could jeopardize the recovery of a fragile ecosystem by fragmenting land used
by migratory birds.
Though site volunteers said they felt their concerns were
largely acknowledged by the District’s design team, they remain apprehensive
about the trail’s southeast segment, which bows around the west side of a large
pond that fronts onto La Grange
Road
“Every single inch matters,” said Pat Hayes, Orland
Grasslands’ site steward. “What we’re dealing with is not just a pretty place.
This is sustenance for ecosystems and species that have nowhere else to go.”
A letter from the Bird Conservation Network cited several
bird species known to nest in the Grasslands — Henslow’s Sparrow, Dickcissel,
Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink — that could be affected, as well as shorebird
species known to stopover on the site during their migration. Though small, a
path separating the pond from the Grasslands’ interior could deter birds and
turtles from critical mud flats along the water’s edge.
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