City to build bike trail through rattlesnake habitat

The site selected for a Chicago-area bike-pedestrian path is adjacent to a nest of now-hibernating eastern massasauga rattlesnakes. The city of Wheeling is planning to build a paved bike and pedestrian path from the Des Plaines River to an Interstate 294 overpass. The path, to cost $1.2 million, will connect with other bicycle paths in the area. Several state agencies are deciding what to do about the snakes. The Wheeling Village Board recently hired an environmental consultant for about $25,000 to study the area. More