Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 46

Section 4 Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, May 19, 1999 OUTDOORS LOCAL TEAMS AT A GLANCE WAV Wert. 19 Ul 22 Congress, are you listening? Save Savanna 20 HTUKTA Fa 21 FLORIDA ATLANTA p.m. 6:40 1 6:40 6:10 p.m.; JTI CLTV Ch' 9 Ch' 9 Ch' 9 Ch' 9 CITV i Sun. 23 Mm. 24 T.ics.

25 ATLANTA ATLANTA FLORIDA FLORIDA 7:05 p.m.! CLTV CLEVELAND 6:05 p.m. MICHIGAN 2 p.m. MICHIGAN 7 p.m. MICHIGAN 7 p.m. CLEVELAND NT.

YANKEES NT. YANKEES Y. YANKEES CLEVELAND I 7:05 p.m. 1 6:05 p.m. i 1:05 p.m.

6:05 p.m. 1 7:05 p.m. BURLINGTON BURLINGTON i BURLINGTON BURLINGTON 7:05 p.m. I 7:05 p.m. 7:05 p.m.

6:05 p.m. PLAYOFFS: HOUSTON' 7:30 p.m. If necessary KANSAS CITY 7 p.m. "Imagine a moth eating an endangered plant that is probably more endangered than the plant itself," he said. Savanna's list of rare animals includes the river otter, American bittern, pied-billed grebe, red-shouldered hawk, osprey and bald eagle.

It includes a heron rookery and four nesting eagles. It routinely services the loggerhead shrike, northern harrier and sandhill crane. Some of its black oaks are 150 to 210 years old. The Audubon Society has named Savanna as one of three stops on its Great River Birding Trail between Minneapolis and southern Illinois. And the fishing in those deep, clean backwaters is reputed to be phenomenal Dan Sallee, a DNR river biologist, called those miles of backwaters "a relatively untouched fishery," even though he is well aware locals have sneaked In there for years.

He said electroshocking surveys on the Mississippi River average 18 to 20 keeper-sized largemouth bass per hour, but Savanna's prolific backwaters average closer to 70. "When that area comes open to the general public, it is going to be a tremendous sport fishery," Sallee said. But if the citizens of Illinois do not encourage their congressmen to speak to the Army on their behalf, untold acres of gorgeous land at Savanna are going to wear a different labeL They'll be marked: "Look, but don't ever dare to touch." force the Army's brass to pay any attention at all to public clamor. In a discourse about the problems facing Savanna, Nyboer basically said as much. "About the only way to get them to respond now lis through Congress," he said.

"Pressure has to come from our political representatives or some of the best places will be fenced off." Just because the land at Savanna is sick enough to be a Superfund site does not mean the Army will apply for any funds to make it welL It just wants to hook up its caissons and roll the heck out Any pennies saved at Savanna might buy a few more $700 hammers. Why all the hullaballoo for an old military ammunition depot? Well, let's allow Nyboer to recount the reasons. For one thing, studies at Savanna reveal more than 400 locations where endangered plants and animals thrive. The depot spreads along 13 glorious miles of Mississippi River as the only place in Illinois where riverine, prairie and upland forest ecosystems converge. Nyboer said 6,500 acres of the abandoned depot are composed of sand prairie remnants, while 5,500 acres are in floodplain forests or backwaters.

"This is pretty significant habitat for several declining grassland bird populations," he noted. One astonishing find at Savanna was a moth that had not been identified an unknown species. ON THE AIR WEDNESDAY BASEBALL 1 6:30 p.m. NEW YORK YANKEES AT BOSTON ESPN 6:35 p.m. CUBS AT FLORIDA Fox Sports Net Chicago Plus, CLTV, WGN-AM 720 7:05 p.m.

CLEVELAND AT WHITE SOX Fox Sports Net Chicago, WMVP-AM 1000, WIND-AM 560 7:05 p.m. COUGARS AT BURLINGTON WKKD-FM 95.9 9:30 p.m. HOUSTON AT LOS ANGELES ESPN PRO BASKETBALL 6 p.m. NBA PLAYOFFS, EAST SEMIFINALS, CAME IU bet the first thing Randy Nyboer does when his eyes pop open in the morning is tug the covers off his feet to make sure they're still there. Yep.

A left and a right All's well for at least another day. Nyboer, a regional natural heritage program manager for the Department of Natural Resources, Nhas padded around the expanses of Savanna Army Depot for a couple dozen years. So far he hasn't stepped on any of the unexploded World War I armament that still may be buried there and he doesn't seem terribly worried. But he knows the public is sort of sensitive to being blown to smithereens even accidentally and with the best environmental intentions. So Nyboer wants the depot and particularly the 11,000 acres that should come into public recreational play when the land moves from Army ownership to the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service and joint management with the DNR to be cleaned of military debris to a point where people can patter about with no fears of going boom. Otherwise, well have the land protected all right, but none of us will get to stride over large parts of A maze of protective fences will see to that In most cases, cleaning the land for public use means checking and purging certain hotspots to a depth 4 feet. The Army wants to get away with only 1 foot of cleansing. governments highest crash test 8:30 p.m. NBA PLAYOFFS, WEST SEMIFINALS, GAME 2: LOS ANGELES LAKERS AT SAN ANTONIO TNT 6 p.m.

MEXICAN FUTBOL PLAYOFFS: NECAXA VS. TOLUCA Galavision 8:30 p.m. MEXICAN FUTBOL PLAYOFFS: GUADALAJARA VS. CRUZ AM Galavision The Press Box Compiled by Mark Shapiro AUTO RACING SI, IRL tangle over crash story Is mem John Husar On the outdoors It just doesnt want to spend the extra money for what amounts to a plant and wildlife refuge, figuring people can enjoy rare prairie and grassland animals from the outside of fences, as they do in zoos. But Nyboer and most conservationists who have fought to preserve the wonders at Savanna don't want these confining fences.

They yearn to know this special piece of Illinois' natural history as participants rather than merely viewers. They cannot condone the insult of being fenced from beautiful public land. But we are going to get these fences at Savanna unless a tide of public opinion awakens the one source of pressure the Army understands. We know by now that a public squall itself accomplishes nothing. The Army hunkers within its Pentagon fortress, blissfully ignoring public pressure.

Only those who control the Army's purse strings namely senators and representatives can motivate this monolith into a pretense of altruism Only members of Congress wield enough monetary power to .1 GOVERNMENT'S test rating- Toyota Camry XLEV-6 $25,478 3.0L DOHC V-6 1 94 HP) STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD $4,088 Mercury Sablc.thct.inlv car in us class with the Sports Dlustrated's auta racing writer has been denied credentials for the Indianapolis 500, partly because the magazine ran a photograph of a sheet-covered body after three fans were killed at a race earlier this month. In response, SI said Tuesday it would not cover the event Tony George, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of the Indy Racing League, said in a letter to SI that Ed Hinton, the magazine's senior auto racing writer, would be barred from the May 30 race. The IRL was angered by the photo and accompanying story in which Hinton wrote that such accidents could be avoided. The article in the May 10 issue OLYMPICS A top Salt Lake official resigns SALT LAKE CITY-Mark Tanner resigned Tuesday as chief financial officer of the Salt Lake Olympics, a move that comes about two months after his budget was criticized by the head organizer. Tanner will become chief financial officer at Mrs.

Field's Cookies, which is based in Salt Lake. In February, Mitt Romney, president of the organizing committee, described mistakes in the $1.45 billion budget The Games will cost about $40 million more because of wrong assumptions concerning federal funding and the cost of supplies. Information technology also will cost $25 million more than budgeted, Romney said at the time. On Tuesday, Tanner said Romney's criticism of the budget had nothing to do with his resignation and said it was he who pointed out the mistakes to Romney. 2: PHILADELPHIA AT INDIANA TNT lEh.EF TC SEE IF V.C 'v' it of with 3.0L INCLUDLD Mercury Sable LS Pa-mi um Ciroup $21,390 DOHC V-6(200 HP) STANDARD AVAILAm.i: STANDARD STANDARD INCLUDED INCLUDED INCLUDLD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD STANDARD INCLUDLD INCLUDLD INCLUDLD INCLUDLD AT NO EXTRA CHARGE STANDARD STANDARD was headlined "Fatal Attractions." Three spectators were killed and eight others injured when debris from a crash during the May 1 VisionAire 500 in Concord, N.C., flew over a 15-foot fence and into the crowd.

Also Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that the IRL will start requiring wheel tether systems beginning at the Indy 500. The tethers are designed to keep wheels from snapping free from vehicles on impact Formula One began requiring teams to use tether systems at the start of the 1999 season, and CART, the world's other major open-wheel circuit announced a similar rule last week. PRO FOOTBALL Patriots stadium plan approved After years of stalemates and some last-minute tinkering that threatened to kill the deal, the Massachusetts House and Senate approved a plan Tuesday for a new $225 million stadium for the New England Patriots. Under the plan, $70 million in taxpayer money would go toward paying for roads, sewer and lighting on and around the stadium site. Approximately $1.4 million would be paid back annually over 25 years to the state.

The plan aims to have the Patriots playing in the new stadium by 2001. Gov. Paul Cellucci is expected to sign the bill into law, possibly while NFL owners are meeting early next week in Atlanta. The Seattle Seahawks agreed to use the University of Washington's Husky Stadium for the 2000 and 2001 seasons while a new stadium is built. ranked No.

11, has withdrawn from next week's French Open because of a shoulder injury. Second seed Marcelo Rios struggled to a 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 win over Italian Davide Sanguinetti in the St. Poelten (Austria) men's tournament. Colleges: Lamont Long, who led New Mexico in scoring last season with 16.8 points a game, has decided to take his name off the list of early entries for the NBA draft and return for his senior season. Former Mt.

Carmel state wrestling champion T.J. Williams has been named the University of Iowa Male Athlete of the Year by the Daily Iowan, the school newspaper. Williams, a sophomore, won the NCAA and Big Ten championships at 149 pounds in March. Mercury Sable equipped than Camry XLE for $4,088 less. MSRP I.N(ilM ill) I'liior console (vl'iiss Hip-oK 4-SUvd I Jccironic I imiisiinIc CI'C-I'ivo Air C'oiuliiioikT if Conirol (Vi iniL'lcr Ahini'i lintrx Kcul Dooi i Rcmoic Ko less I worn indow DolroskT W)4() Splil-l-olcl Ran- Scut AMI 1 SicivoCiissctlc AMI'M Sicivo Wiih Single CI) I'oucr Door Locks Power Windows Soliir 1 ini ilass Spccil Conliol Till Stocriiiu Column Speed-Scnsiiixc Power Sieerins: Iniermiiienl Windshield Wipers Aluminum Wheels Tachomclor l.e;ilher- Sleerini; heel Power l)ticr's l.ijihl Group Door Childprool' Locks Accesson Dela Diiiil lllumiiiiiled Visor Mirrors Aulonuilie OnOil I leadl.imps Passive Anii-Thell Ssiem AuiolockKclock Ssiem Leather Seating Surlaces WoodLiiain Trim Power hiisido Mirrors Mealed Outside Mirrors 4-Wheel Urakiny Svsiem (AMS) Auxiliary 12-Voli Power Point Daiime Running Lamps BRIEFS Ben Johnson's reinstatement possible SABLE COMPETITION Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, banned for life after two positive drug tests, could have his application for reinstatement heard by the sport's world governing body this week.

Athletics Canada has asked the International Amateur Athletic Federation to rule on Johnson's petition at its council meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Seville, Spain. Tennis: In Duesseldorf, Germany, French Open champion Carlos Moya won a tight 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 battle over Tim Henman to hand Spain a victory over Britain at the World Team Cup. Spain, Germany and Sweden are 1-1 in the Red Group. The Blue Group, which includes the United States with Pete Sampras, was idle Tuesday. American Todd Martin, i 0 r.lALf' leu-rot 7599 www.lincolnniPrcury.com.