PIPING PLOVER CRITICAL HABITAT ALERT

Last week I attended one of the public hearings concerning the designation of critical habitat for Piping Plovers. The areas up for designation include wintering habitat. Areas proposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service include beaches along the Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama coastlines. The areas in Alabama are Dauphin Island, Little Dauphin Island, Pelican (Sand) Island, Isle aux Herbes, and the beach around Fort Morgan. A critical habitat designation does not set up a preserve or refuge, it only affects activities with federal involvement, such as federal funding or a federal permit. Listed species and their habitats are protected by the Endangered Species Act whether or not they are in areas designated as critical habitat. It does not include present development; such as boat ramps, piers, or houses.

Federal agencies are required to consult with the Service on actions they carry out, authorize, fund, or permit, that may affect critical habitat. A critical habitat designation has no effect when a Federal agency is not involved. For example, a landowner undertaking a project on private land that involves no Federal funding or permit has no additional responsibilities if his property falls within critical habitat boundaries.

Whereas this is not a "silver bullet" to prevent development of beaches such as the west end of Dauphin Island, it does present a possible roadblock if federal funding is used in any way for the development. 
The Fish and Wildlife Service would like to receive comments from the public concerning this issue. An e-mail address has been established for anyone wishing to send his or her comments via the internet. The e-mail address is WINTERPLOVERCOMMENTS@FWS.GOV. You can also phone them at 361-994-9005. For more information, visit their websites at: http://southeast.fws.gov. The deadline for submitting comments regarding this matter is September 5th. I feel it is important for us to voice our support on this issue. 

Thank you, Mike Wilson