The Chicago Bears are still weighing where to build a new stadium.
Their plans for northwest Indiana have drawn the attention of some environmental groups.
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Wolf Lake is over 150 years old. It spans Indiana and Illinois. On a beautiful day like Monday, it attracts visitors from both states.
If the Bears built a new stadium near the lake, it would surely attract more visitors.
Dale Brumm took advantage of a beautiful day in early March to go fishing.
Wolf Lake is home to a variety of fish species, including walleye, bluegill, and northern pike.
In fact, the more than 800 acres of lake and surrounding land are home to more than 2,000 different species of plants and animals.
Bears are not currently one of these species, but that may change.
“It’s good for the country and I don’t have to travel that far to watch the games,” Bloom said.
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While the Bears have not confirmed the exact location in Hammond they are considering, it is believed the site is currently occupied by the Lost Swamp Golf Course on the lakefront. This is a municipal golf course built on land that was once an industrial dump.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said Michael Booth of the Wolf Lake Initiative.
Booth formed the Wolf Lake Initiative Group on the Illinois side to help address environmental issues in the area.
He has written a book about the history of the lake and said he is a Bears fan but he would rather see the Bears build a stadium elsewhere. But he said his organization would not be involved.
“I’m not going to stand in the street and stop them, no,” Booth said.
Paul Botts, director of the Wetlands Initiative, said there were many unanswered questions about the environmental impact of building a stadium in the area.
The area is part of the birds’ fall migration route.
“Will this affect Wolf Lake and the smaller Lake George next to it? There’s no question that birds are going to use that lake,” Botts said.
Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott responded that in his 22 years as mayor of Hammond, he had never received an environmental complaint about Wolf Lake.
The Bears have not released a timetable for announcing their decision. They simply said they are doing their due diligence studying the land and the feasibility of building in Hammond.
