Bruce Hannon’s Environmental Fight

When looking at the Oakley Dam Project, one individual stands out with his efforts in stopping the dam from being built. Bruce Hannon, local to Allerton Park, had a personal connection with Allerton Park making his efforts all that more powerful. The fight to save Allerton Park took place at a prime time for environmental activism. More efforts were being made to preserve and conserve the environment along with environmental organizations emerging. Bruce took on the challenge of fighting against the Oakley Dam and figuring out ways to campaign against the fight in order to have long-lasting effects. My research explores one of Bruce's main strategies in gaining the support of environmental organizations to back the argument that the dam should not be built. Having environmental organizations work alongside the fight was powerful in having the campaign be effective. Through my research I argue that the environmental movement during the 1960-1970s played a big role in the way individuals and environmental organizations worked together to fight to protect the environment. It paved the way for strong environmental organizations to be an effective resource in fighting environmental issues today.

Bruce Hannon was born in 1934 in Ivesdale, Illinois, a small town about 25 minutes from Allerton Park. Growing up so close to Allerton he was already familiar with the park before he took on the challenge of saving it. He got his education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduating with his Bachelors, Masters, and PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanical Engineering. While getting his degrees, he became a First Lieutenant in the US Army ROTC program. He worked as a Registered Professional Engineer before becoming a Geography Professor at the University of Illinois in 1970.

Bruce Hannon first got inspiration to save Allerton Park when he and his wife took a vacation to Allerton Park in the summer of 1967. His wife went on a hike while Hannon stayed back in their cabin. When she returned, she told him devastating news. She had learned that the Corps of Engineers were planning to build a dam which would cause flooding right up to Allerton Park. His wife then got people together in Allerton Park before their vacation ended and created a petition for people to sign. She then handed the ‘duties’ over to Bruce saying, “It’s yours now” (Patricia Hannon). Bruce’s impressive role in the fight to save Allerton Park might not have been possible if it weren’t for his wife. This idea shifted his life plan as instead of working as an engineer he became focused as an environmentalist. With the Oakley Dam being a government project, Bruce knew that an environmental organization would be needed, a couple local signatures would not be able to stop it.

During the time of the 1960s, not many environmental organizations existed. Some environmental organizations existed before this time, but many emerged after. The Sierra Club was the one of the first environmental organizations to exist in the U.S. It was founded in 1892 by John Muir, a naturalist, conservationist, and author. The Sierra Club was created to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the Earth. When it was first founded, their main goal was to preserve the forest and other natural resources of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Sierra Club has accomplished protecting National Parks, stopping dams, advancing environmental policies, and much more. They are still an active group today that continues to protect the environment. Many of the other environmental groups already formed helped Bruce Hannon and the Committee on Allerton Park fight against the dam.

One petition led to the start of the Committee on Allerton Park, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Bruce and Patricia Hannon founded the organization in 1967. They started this organization to specifically stop The Corps of Engineers from building the Oakley Dam. Since the group was only focused on one environmental concern in a small town in Illinois only local people would know about the group. People in other parts of Illinois would not even know about the fight or care enough to stop it. In order to even stop the Oakley Dam the COAP would need to become a known organization among people and other environmental organizations. Bruce took upon that role of spreading awareness about their fight and gaining the support of environmental groups.

Since there was no internet or social media for Bruce to easily advocate for the group, it took a lot more work for him to gain people’s attention and to get people to act against the dam. Bruce had to send letters on behalf of himself and the COAP to get environmental groups’ attention and support. Countless letters were sent back and forth between environmental organizations and people working for those groups. Bruce sent these groups data and information about what the Corps of Engineers were doing for the dam and also data on what the COAP was doing with their fight. The only way these environmental groups would have information about the Oakley Dam and the COAP’s efforts were either through Bruce's letters or newspapers. It was up to Bruce to relay information to these groups and inform them what was happening and why they should care about a dam being built in a small town. This strategy of sending letters, receiving replies, and responding back again played a huge part in getting the attention and support of environmental organizations. With the communication and support of these organizations it would make the fight to stop the dam a more national issue that people would care about and want to stop.

In order for people to understand why the COAP was fighting against the dam, other environmental organizations needed to speak out against the dam. Bruce reached out to local or Illinois environmental organizations for support. The Illinois Paddling Council was one local group that Bruce reached out to for support. They were all for being against the Oakley dam. The Illinois Paddling Council addressed a letter to the Corps of Engineers stating that on behalf of the Illinois canoeists and kayakers they do not want the dam to be built. The Corps of Engineers claimed that the Oakley Dam would be better for recreational activities such as swimming and other water activities. But the Illinois Paddling Council dismissed that claim and goes on to say that they do not want to be associated with the claimed benefits the dam would provide and that they like the water how it is. This letter was copied over to Bruce to show him that the club was in support of the COAP’s fight.

Through Bruce's communication with environmental groups, more organizations began showing their support over letters and publicly. Bruce and the COAP were gaining alliances and connections with these environmental groups. The environmental groups would advise the COAP what to do to help their fight and inform them on how some actions would not be as effective. For instance, Bruce and The Committee on Allerton Park worked on making Allerton Park a National Natural Landmark in hopes that this would be able to stop the dam from being built. However, the Indiana Division of The Izaak Walton League informed Bruce through a letter stating, “… National Natural Landmark status does not in itself provide any protection whatever.” The organization goes on to say in the letter that the National Natural Landmark status would only recognize Allerton Park's natural significance. They help Bruce and the COAP to understand that this action would not entirely stop the dam but be able to show people that Allerton Park holds natural significance and that the dam should not be built. The COAP needed approval from the owners of Allerton Park in order for it to be declared a National Natural Landmark. Allerton Park at the time was owned by the University of Illinois, and it still is today. The University approved of it and parts of Allerton Park were recognized as National Natural Landmarks in 1970.

Through Bruce's efforts of gaining connections with environmental organizations and the support of those groups the COAP’s was able to stop the Oakley Dam from being built. In 1975 the U.S. General Accounting Office released an analysis of the project not having the funding or meeting the proposed benefits and ultimately ending the Oakley Dam project. In 1985 the Oakley Dam was deauthorized at a federal level meaning it would never be built. The Committee on Allerton Park and Bruce had achieved their goal. But their environmental efforts did not stop there. The Committee on Allerton Park changed its name in 1984 to the Central States Education Center due to its statewide focus on a number of issues including soil waste. Then in 1998 they changed their name again to Prairie Rivers Network to show that they focused on issues that impact Illinois’ rivers and watersheds. Bruce continued to be an environmentalist and be a part of the COAP. In 2003 he was one of the founders of another organization in East Central Illinois, the Land Conservation Foundation. They focus on the water and wildlife in Central Illinois. In 2007 Bruce retired as President of the Board of Directors from the Prairie Rivers Network.

At a time in history where environmentalism was gaining awareness, many new environmental groups emerged. Awareness and activism sparked throughout the United States leading to bigger change with the environment. On April 22, 1970 the first Earth Day was celebrated around the U.S. to raise awareness about environmental issues and push environmental-friendly laws. The University of Illinois celebrated the first Earth day on the Main Quad with students and locals with their very own environmental organization, Students for Environmental Controls. Environmental organizations were leading the way in helping to fight environmental concerns and spreading awareness. Bruce started a small town environmental organization that focused on one cause and turned it into an organization that would help to advocate to protect the environment across Illinois. Without the start of the Committee on Allerton Park the Prairie Rivers Network would not have existed. The Prairie Rivers Network has gone on to accomplish many things such preserving clean water in Illinois and protecting native species. Most recently they stopped Bulldog Mine to protect the Salt Fork River.

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