Thanks to the Illinois Tollway Authority for its plans to reduce mowing and rebuild milkweed habitat for the majestic Monarch butterfly. The Monarch population has dropped 90 percent in the past decade. It's been headline news across the country and on most major broadcast outlets.
It's because we are killing off the Monarchs’ plant of survival: the milkweed. In about 90 days, the roadside slaughter will begin, as Illinois road crews and farmers seem to have an addiction to mowing rural road sides.
Let's follow the lead of the tollway authority and curtail mass mowing along Illinois' rural roads. Rural roadsides and ditches are a very important ecosystem for many creatures; yet -- spring to fall -- farmers and road crews choose to destroy this ecosystem and, thus, destroy thousands of milkweeds vital for Monarchs.
Many states have adopted plans to reduce the mowing of rural roadsides; it's Illinois' time.
Common ground should be found among road crews, farmers, and environmentalists. Mowing rural intersections for traffic safety seems reasonable. It is not reasonable to mass mow from roadside to corn field.
Illinois needs a new environmentally sensible strategy to help dwindling populations of milkweeds. And farmers need to end their addiction to rural mowing .
We need to bring back the milkweeds and, then, Monarch butterflies will have an opportunity to fly back into our lives.
I'm Phillip LeFevre, and that's my perspective.
