rusty patched bumble bee Archives

Is a Parking Lot More Valuable Than a Prairie?

October 23, 2021October 27, 2021 Mike Nowak Bell Bowl Prairie, conservation, environment, McHenry County College Green Living Expo, native plants, Natural Land Institute, parking lots v prairies, Peggy Malecki, remnant prairie, rusty patched bumble bee, The Mike Nowak Show

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Time is running out for Bell Bowl Prairie at Chicago Rockford International Airport. Kerry Leigh from the Natural Land Institute, landscape designer Domenico D’Alessandro, and Jen Kuroda from Sinnissippi Audubon talk about how–and if–the prairie can be saved. Kim Hankins previews the McHenry County College Green Living Expo on November 6.

Conservation Environment Insects Local food

Can One Bee Rescue a Valuable Remnant Prairie?

October 2, 2021October 5, 2021 Mike Nowak Bell Bowl Prairie, Bob Benenson, Chicago Rockford International Airport, endangered species, fall farmers markets, Kerry Leigh, Local Food Forum, Natural Land Institute, Peggy Malecki, remnant prairie, Robb Telfer, rusty patched bumble bee, The Mike Nowak Show

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An expansion at Chicago Rockford International Airport threatens a valued prairie remnant. Thanks to the sighting of an endangered rusty patched bumble bee, the construction is on hold…for the moment. We talk to Kerry Leigh from the Natural Land Institute and naturalist/artist Robb Telfer about what this means for natural areas across the state. Bob Benenson from Local Food Forum returns to preview the remainder of the farmers market season.

Information from Past Shows Podcasts

January 21, 2017 – The Plight of the Bumble Bee

January 20, 2017May 23, 2017 Mike Nowak Endangered Species Act, environment, extinction, gardening, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, pollinators, rusty patched bumble bee, The Mike Nowak Show, Xerces Society

Mike and Peggy talk to two experts–Allen Lawrance from Chicago’s Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and Rich Hatfield from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation–about the recent decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.