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Citizens press Rock Island to protect Milan Bottoms; council backs land-and-water reserve registration
Summary
Residents and regional conservationists urged the council to halt development in the Milan Bottoms, citing wildlife surveys and alleged shortcomings in an environmental review. The council voted to register the Southwest Rock Island wetlands as a land-and-water reserve with the Illinois DNR.
Dozens of residents and conservation experts told the Rock Island City Council the Milan Bottoms wetland—described by speakers as one of the region’s last large intact wetlands—must be protected from proposed commercial development. The council adopted a resolution to register the Southwest Rock Island wetlands as a land-and-water reserve with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Public commenters including long-time wildlife surveyors cited field work and inventories of birds, amphibians, reptiles and turtles. A speaker who identified himself as representing local wildlife surveys said the area contains “177 species” of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals recorded so far and at least nine threatened or endangered species. Multiple witnesses said the site includes a significant bald eagle night roost and that recent, repeated surveys found whooping crane(s) and Blanding’s turtles.
Speakers criticized a developer-funded environmental assessment (Terracon) that they said relied on one day of fieldwork and omitted winter-period roost surveys. Ryan Schmitz, who said he has studied eagles for 23 years, told the council the Terracon visit took place on a single day and could not support claims that the roost had not been used in two years.
Several commenters urged that the city could place land it owns into a conservation easement without creating or relying on a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. Others raised conflicts-of-interest concerns about aldermen with business ties to parties named in the proposed development.
After public comment, the council considered a separate agenda item from the wetland task force and voted to adopt a resolution to register the Southwest Rock Island wetlands as a land-and-water reserve with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The roll call showed unanimous support on that resolution.
Next steps: council adoption of the land-and-water reserve registration commits the city to work with the Illinois DNR on designation steps; speakers asked the council to expand any conservation easement to include the specific 10-acre parcel the developer has targeted for commercial use.
