Comment EI-25454
Received or sent (printed as 10/26/2016)
Dear Surface Transportation Board: I am writing to voice my objection and express my concern over the new preferred route of the Great Lakes Basin Transportation Company rail line thru Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. While I now find my own property, located in Winnebago County, IL, directly in the path of this project, I feel that the negative impacts go far beyond my own situation. First and foremost is the prime agricultural land that will be taken out of production permanently. Thousands of acres of farmland will be forever changed in terms of runoff, drainage, size and dimension, accessibility. Land will be torn up during construction and the fertile topsoil disturbed beyond repair; runoff and drainage patterns will be forever altered as topographical features are cut and blasted to make way for the rail line. Fields that are used for pasturing animals will also be impacted. The nutrients found in the topsoil will be destroyed when that topsoil and vegetation is disturbed. Much of the area is low lying and many areas flood easily each year. This flooding is due to the 2 rivers that converge in the area and eventually flow to the Mississippi River. Agriculture is a real and necessary industry that already exists in the area. The ecological impacts of any spills would also be huge on both the farmland as well as the surrounding bodies of water. The effects to the natural areas will also be irreparable. Western Winnebago county is filled with natural wonders including lakes, rivers, streams, wildlife and natural areas. These areas will be forever changed as the surrounding land is torn up and moved. The proposed path shows the rail line passing very close to Nygren Wetland Preserve, a beautiful 721- acre marshy area that serves as a migratory stopover site for waterfowl, it is a significant repository for local diversity of plant and animal species. Colored Sands Forest Preserve is located just west of the proposed route. Each year, bird populations are monitored at the Sand Bluff Bird Observatory, the largest bird banding station in the Mississippi flyway, located within the forest preserve. Also in Winnebago county, near the proposed route, is Jensen Forest Preserve where there is work being done to restore native prairie and oak savanna. Other forest preserves in the area that will be negatively impacted include Severson Dells Forest Preserve, Sugar River Forest Preserve, Two Rivers Forest Preserve, Four Lakes Forest Preserve and Trask Bridge Forest Preserve. Western Winnebago County is vital to the migration of many species and much work is being done to continue restoring native landscapes. The proposed route, and rumor of roads being dead ended instead of building flyovers or grade separation crossings, will essentially cut off the western part of Winnebago County from the nearest major metropolitan area. Many people who live in this area work and recreate in Rockford. They travel to Rockford for many reasons, including health care and shopping. The response time of emergency response services will also be adversely affected. Whether there are multiple dead- end roads or railroad crossings, both are costly when time is of the essence in an emergency. Residents will suffer irreparable harm to safety and security. On a more personal note, I raise Katahdin Sheep and Border Collies on my small acreage. I raise the sheep for meat and I also train herding dogs. I have worked for nearly 20 years building a low maintenance, easy care flock. A few times each year I hold herding trials, herding clinics and seminars. I also work with the local career college’s veterinary technician program, helping to train the next generation of vet techs. They visit my farm to learn about sheep care and management as well as to practice giving vaccines and oral drenches. The route, as currently proposed will take about 1/3 of my pasture and training areas. This will render the remaining acres completely unusable for my purposes as the danger to my livestock, dogs and students would be too great to continue these endeavors. I hope that the Surface Transportation Board considers the detrimental effects of this project on the naturally beautiful and ecologically diverse area that is Winnebago County and denies the approval of the Great Lakes Basin Transportation Company’s rail line project. Thank You Lisa M Pruka
Submitted by: Lisa Pruka · Rockton, Illinois
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35952/comment/EI-25454 · back to the docket sheet