September 9, 2013 — A flawed economic impact statement attached to a habitat designation proposal for endangered sea turtles could up the cost of dredging and nourishment projects, area residents said at a public hearing Monday.
"The whole economic review is kind of flawed, in our opinion," said Kure Beach Commissioner David Heglar. "Assessing the paperwork impact of this doesn't count the direct and indirect cumulative effects."
The hearing – the first of two this week in North Carolina – allowed members of the public to give comments on a recent proposal of critical habitat designation for loggerhead sea turtles, released by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Thirty-six areas throughout the Northwest Atlantic Ocean were named in the proposal, including parcels of water identified as reproductive and overwintering areas adjacent to a handful of area beaches – among them, Topsail Island, Lea-Huttaf Island, Pleasure Island, Bald Head Island, Oak Island and Holden Beach. Each area extends roughly 1 mile from shore, according to Susan Pultz, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Protected Resources.
The hearing was separate from previous meetings held by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding critical habitat proposals for nesting areas on shore, including 68 miles of coastline in southeastern North Carolina. Monday's hearing, held by the National Marine Fisheries Service, focused on the proposal relating to waters used by loggerheads for migratory and mating purposes, among other things.
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