Bernheim forest and Bell Bowl Prairie are warnings of increasing seizure of wild lands

Two weeks ago, Bell Bowl Prairie was demolished to make space for a longer airport runway outside Chicago. Last week, the Willow Project, a massive oil drilling operation in the Alaskan wilderness, was approved by the Biden Administration. These decisions end months-long battles led by conservationists and grassroots organizers. These are not only losses for the respective local ecosystems, but a dangerous sign for conservation efforts nationwide.

The demolition of Bell Bowl Prairie is of concern for a few reasons. First being because it hosted a federally endangered species – the rusty patch bumblebee (Bombus affinis). Ideally, under the Endangered Species Act, this should have protected the site from destruction. Second, it was designated as a Category I Natural Areas Inventory site– the state’s highest ecological quality indicator. Finally, Bell Bowl was an “ancient” or “remnant” prairie, meaning it had not been disturbed by humans for hundreds of years. Today, only 0.1% of remnant prairies still remain in the US. Despite this, two weeks ago, the bulldozers rolled in.

In the Alaskan wilderness, the Willow Project will establish drilling wells, a road and a pipeline, cutting through a 23-million-acre area of land – the largest pristine areas remaining in the US. This project will produce over 600 million barrels of oil in its lifetime and the Bureau of Land Management cited the project as having “substantial concerns” for its impact on migratory animals, local water sources, and global emissions.

These losses highlight difficulties in the effort to protect natural areas from development. A slew of legal motions, scientific surveys and public demonstrations, weren’t enough.

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Kentucky is fighting to protect Bernheim forest

Here in Louisville these fights may sound familiar if you have kept up with Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest’s fight to prevent a natural gas pipeline from cutting through their wilderness. In this ongoing battle, organizers have run a similar tactic – biological surveys, legal fillings, and outreach campaigns.

Bernheim’s fight is similar not only in their actions, but in the value of the land. Among the forest area slotted to be cut through are karst springs and limestone outcroppings. This landscape creates unique soil conditions that harbor rare plant and animal communities that cannot survive in Kentucky’s hardwood forests. I myself have seen first-hand rare orchid species throughout Bernheim (like Spiranthes magnicamporum), and others have identified threatened bat, amphibian, snail and plant populations in the path of destruction. A loss of any amount of a novel habitat like this poses a significant threat to biodiversity and is worth fighting to protect.

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Important also is the symbology of these battles. In Bell Bowl, conservationists identified a rare bee species that should legally protect the site. In Berheim’s case a rare snail species was identified. In all three cases the demolition made way for fossil fuel infrastructure (oil and nautral gas pipelines and airport runways). In Bernheim’s case, the pipeline’s approval would establish a precedent for seizing land purchased with public money. Finally, this would add to the slew of conservation losses seen in the last few weeks and would be a warning signal of increasing seizure of wild lands for fossil fuel development nationwide.

While the Willow Project and Bell Bowl’s fight came to an end this month, Bernheim’s is still ongoing. The protection of our natural areas is of the upmost importance in the face of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change. This is especially true for rare habitats harbouring threatened species. Keep an eye out for announcements on this issue, as Bernheim is expecting a decision sometime this month. This will be a crucial step, but by no means will it be the end. Be prepared to take action by speaking up, spreading awareness, and listening to what Bernheim has to say. Conservation efforts can be led by anyone and requires input from all walks of life.

Aaron Sexton was born and raised in Louisville and received his PhD in Biology from the University of Louisville in 2022. His dissertation focused on the effects of habitat restoration and land usage on plant-pollinator communities. He is now a Postdoctoral research scientist at the French Foundation for Biodiversity Research in Montpellier, France.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky's Bernheim forest warns of increasing seizure of wild lands