Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Spared

The U.S. Navy has announced it will no longer attempt to build a training facility and landing strip near the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.  This ABC-designated Globally Important Bird Area is an important stopover point for migratory Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, and a wide variety of ducks.  The Draft Environmental Impact Statement revealed that the Navy planned to use Avitrol, a toxic pesticide, to control birds in the vicinity of the proposed airstrip.

A local outdoor writer and TV host, Joe Albea, helped spawn opposition to the project by distributing videos of the huge flocks of birds on the Refuge, and arranging visits for government officials and reporters. North Carolina Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, two affected counties, and local residents filed a successful lawsuit in federal court that forced the Navy to prepare a new Environmental Impact Statement delaying the project.  American Bird Conservancy initiated a Bird Conservation Alliance sign on letter to the Chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Service Committees urging the project be moved to an alternative location. Elected officials in North Carolina including Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, Representatives G.K. Butterfield and David Price, as well as Governor Mike Easley, also raised concerns and urged the Navy to look for an alternative site. The 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill sealed the fate of the project by prohibiting its construction.