| May 2020 |
Location is where coal strip mine would have been.
In April, a major birdwatchers' network reported two Whooping Cranes were seen in a wetland restoration area outside of the village of Banner, Fulton County. Whooping Cranes are the tallest cranes in America and are endangered. The cranes were seen where a coal strip mine would have been. The area is currently being restored from agricultural use by the Prairie Land Conservancy, Macomb, which obtained a major grant to purchase the property and place it in a conservation easement. The land is part of the Illinois River floodplain between Banner Marsh and Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area.
Pictures of the cranes are on the eBird website.
For those who remember the years of efforts from the 2002 filing of the strip mine application to 2012 when the permit was stopped, this is tremendously good news. Citizens to Save Rice Lake, Banner Mayor Ken Fuller, Heart of Illinois Sierra Club and many other volunteers helped to stop the mine.
The Illinois Attorney General's Office, Tom Davis, took on this issue because of violations of state and federal requirements and won the case. In 2014 a Circuit Court order was issued regarding the "Banner Rules" which were to clarify and improve IDNR Office of Mines and Minerals public process and other procedures regarding coal mine permits. Those rules have not been finalized as of April, 2020, and remain in limbo with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.