|
CHARLESTON, S.C. - An environmental group is appealing a permit allowing
Kiawah Island to dredge a sand bar and rebuild dunes to protect the famed
Ocean Course golf links.
Audubon South Carolina has sued, saying the work should not have started
until the permit appeal is heard. Legislators amended state law last year
removing an automatic stay of permits while they are appealed, said an
attorney with the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.
The town released a statement saying "all state and federal permits have
been received" and that the town "has worked very closely with these state
and federal agencies to design a project that satisfies all the agencies'
environmental issues."
The issue is that the tidal sand spit is critical winter foraging ground for
the piping plover, an ocean shorebird. The piping plover is endangered in
some states and a threatened species in South Carolina.
The sand will be used to rebuild the dunes in front of the 16th and 18th
holes at the Ocean Course as well as its driving range.
The Ocean Course will host the 2007 Senior Professional Golf Association
championship and the 2012 PGA Championship, one of professional golf's four
major tournaments.
The events are expected to produce a combined $100 million for the local
economy.
Audubon contends that the sand to nourish the beach should be dredged from
off shore, not from the sand spit.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed earlier this year on a plan that
reduced the amount of sand removed from the spit, leaving more habitat for
the birds.
The town said the work is to be completed by the end of next month. In all,
about 550,000 cubic yards of sand will be moved in the project costing $3.8
million.
|
My
Scribe