Don’t wait any longer to make Joliet acreage part of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

I whole-heartedly agree with the op-ed appeal for transferring the modest acreage of the Joliet Training Area to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. It is the least that state and federal representatives involved in the proposed transfer can do on behalf of land and species conservation.

If there is any doubt, I encourage readers to do a Google Maps search of the Joliet Training Area just north and adjacent to Midewin and see the relative size and scope of these national natural treasures, contrasted with the surrounding development that has occurred over the last two decades.

The unrestrained development outside the boundaries of both the Training Area and Midewin reveal just how much open space has been lost to the intermodal rail system and warehouse developments.

We have a lot more land conservation work to do if we hope to get anywhere close to protecting 30% of the Illinois landscape by 2030, as the authors advocate. The transfer is a vitally important, albeit small step, in the right direction.

Andrew J. Neill, Joliet

Finish what started 30 years ago

There’s been a renewed effort over the past year to finally transfer the old Joliet Army Training Area to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie just outside Joliet, a transfer mandated in 1996 in the Illinois Land Conservation Act that created Midewin as America’s first national tallgrass prairie. We write in full support of this effort.

Activated by the closing of the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant and with the support of the entire Illinois congressional delegation, then-Gov. Jim Edgar and a citizen-led planning committee formed by Congressman George Sangmeister developed a reuse proposal, creating Midewin. At 19,000-acres, it is one of the state’s premiere wildlife preserves, large enough for bison to roam, and within 40 minutes from Chicago.

Since then, much of the area surrounding the JTA has been transformed into vast freight centers, and the Army is increasingly being pressured to allow for new roads and railways to serve this expanding commercial network. This vast land of woods, seeps, rare prairies, and wetlands is a resource for our entire region, offering habitat for rare and endangered species and recreation for all of us who call Chicagoland home.

Many of our members worked with those visionary private citizens and public officials to make Midewin a reality. After almost 30 years, we believe the time has come to finish what they began and transfer the JTA to Midewin.

Amy Doll, director, Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves

Harjani’s achievements are more than ‘diversity’

How absolutely insulting and demeaning for Sunil Harjani to be nominated to a judgeship in the Northern District of Illinois “as Biden’s push to diversify the judiciary continues” as reported in Lynn Sweet’s column of Jan. 10. I don’t know this man, but his credentials as reported sound impeccable. I can’t believe that a part of his nomination fulfills the requirement of “diversity.” His achievements can surely stand on their own.

Sherry Szilage Stoffel, North Aurora