I’m Still Wondering
I’m still wondering about the OLF plan. The story I read in the Charlotte Observer today about the Navy’s plan to build the OLF rings true.
It’s difficult to believe without seeing it firsthand how singularly rich is the northeast region of this state — not in financial or other material ways, but in the astonishing diversity of its wildlife. Researchers say there are more black bears here than in the mountains, and the red wolves are showing signs of flourishing. One large adult red wolf, spooked away from its post studying a flock of swans for breakfast, bounded away and across the road a few hundred yards ahead of a truckload of journalists and conservationists. An adult bear and two cubs bounded across the stubble of a cornfield and birds flew over. You don’t see that every day at Trade and Tryon.
It is in this corner of the state that the U.S. Navy wishes to build a practice jet landing field. It plans to change the crops grown to discourage the waterfowl — 5- and 6-pound geese and 15- to 20-pound swans that can bring down a jet — from flying near the practice landing field.
The fowl are still likely to come every year, and they’re still going to fly in search of food. And when they do, we believe, there will be collisions of bird and plane and pilot, and nothing good can come of that. Perhaps the Navy, in a forthcoming environmental statement, can show how it intends to control nature and command the birds to change their ways and avoid any harm to costly machines, highly trained pilots and lovely avian life. Perhaps. So far, the Navy has failed to make a credible case.
Will the Navy ever come to their senses? We can only hope so.
And so another beautiful piece of land and wildlife habitat will vanish forever, really sad. Yet there are sure many other places they could build that dang thing. Reminds me of a place here where they tried up a wetland to build a factory on it.
Comment by Othmar Vohringer — January 24, 2007 @ 2:39 am
WHO OWNS THE LAND NOW? AND CAN’T THE NAVY FIND A MORE SUITABLE LOCATION. YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME SOMEONE TRIES TO ALTER NATURE
SOMETHING ELSE ALWAYS HAPPENS.
Comment by G. MOCK — January 24, 2007 @ 8:33 am