Only a final written reevaluation by the Federal Aviation Administration remains before the airport can begin construction of a road that would cost the bee 9.3 acres of habitat, including 1.7 acres of the highest-quality prairie.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said the rusty patched bumblebee is “so imperiled that every remaining population is important for the continued existence of the species.”
As the state Environmental Protection Act marks its 50th anniversary, state officials and environmental advocates say IDNR’s reviews are hindered by incomplete records and a staff slashed by nearly half compared with two decades ago.