For Immediate Release

Bridge Proposal Threatens Pea Island Refuge

Safer alternative would serve motorists while protecting natural habitat

WASHINGTON – A proposed bridge and road project through Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge unnecessarily threatens vital sea turtle and migratory bird habitat, according to a new report released Thursday.

Defenders of Wildlife released the report, “Refuges at Risk,” in advance of National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 7-14. The report highlights Pea Island and nine other refuges throughout the country that are feeling the effects of years of inadequate federal funding and a failure to uphold core refuge values.

The report acknowledges the need to replace the aging Herbert C. Bonner Bridge between Hatteras Island and Bodie Island. It states, however, that the safer and more reliable solution is to bypass the refuge and all the associated road problems by routing the new bridge through Pamlico Sound.

The report also asserts that rebuilding Bonner Bridge in the same location will mean continued reliance on troubled Highway 12, the only vehicle route leading from the islands. It further states that simply replacing the bridge “would effectively turn a national wildlife refuge into a perpetual construction zone, with Highway 12 demanding near-constant cleanup from regular sand and water overwash.”

The North Carolina Department of Transport voiced the same argument in a 2003 newsletter, which stated that, “The approximately 17-mile long bridge would minimize impacts to important natural resources such as wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, and bird feeding areas. It would bypass the Canal Zone hot spot and two additional hot spots on NC 12 that are currently subject to frequent ocean overwash. Relocating NC 12 on structure in the Pamlico Sound west of Hatteras Island would eliminate the inconvenience and economic loss that results when substantial overwash occurs. In addition, a bridge in the Pamlico Sound will place NC 12 outside the Refuge.”[1]

The 5,900-acre Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge attracts 1.3 million people each year and is host to more than 350 species of nesting and migratory birds. Critically threatened loggerhead sea turtles nest on the island’s beaches.

“In light of recent events regarding bridge safety, we should not just quickly rebuild a new Bonner Bridge, we should build it to be a safer and more dependable long-term solution for the residents and visitors of the Outer Banks,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. “There is no question that the more reliable and least environmentally damaging choice is a bridge through Pamlico Sound that bypasses the refuge. That alternative provides guaranteed access for all by eliminating the need to forever rely on Highway 12, which runs precariously close to the unpredictable Atlantic Ocean for most of its length through the refuge.”

This year’s “Refuges at Risk” report marks the 10-year anniversary of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, which outlines core values and standards that all national refuges must meet, including establishing a unified wildlife conservation mission. One key provision of the act mandates that all uses of refuges must be compatible with their wildlife conservation mission. Realignment of Highway 12 would have to meet this test. The report documents failures of the Bush administration to implement this and other key provisions of the legislation.

Over the last decade, grossly inadequate federal funding for wildlife refuges has created an operations and maintenance backlog of $2.5 billion. The system is now poised to lose 20 percent of its staff nationwide.

To read the full report, go to www.defenders.org/refugesatrisk
 
Top 10 Refuges at Risk (in alphabetical order)

Cape May NWR, NJ – Each year, thousands of migratory songbirds, including the ruby-crowned kinglet and the Nashville warbler, arrive at this crucial stopping ground for birds traveling on the Atlantic Flyway. But year after year, they arrive to find that their precious habitat is not as they left it. Illegal all-terrain vehicle use, barely hindered by the refuge’s lone refuge enforcement officer, is tearing up the habitat, disturbing nesting birds and jeopardizing their food sources.

Hailstone NWR, MT – This refuge is a vital hub for hundreds of migratory bird species that use the 300-acre lake and the surrounding area as a stopover and breeding ground. However, agricultural runoff has allowed excess salt and selenium from the soil to accumulate in the wetlands, and each year mallards, American white pelicans and hundreds of other species are harmed or even killed by the deteriorating water quality.

Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, TX – The territories of jaguarundi and ocelot extend into Texas from Mexico, where these rare cats roam among 300 species of butterfly and more than 500 species of birds. But the cats’ territories are not bound by international borders, and their habitat is threatened by a border wall that could destroy the biological integrity of the entire region.

Nisqually NWR, WA – For years, local children living in an increasingly developed region have enjoyed and learned from this rich landscape, where pacific tree frogs chorus in the night and river otters dart after fish. Fewer children will be given this opportunity, however, as refuge staff are forced to cut back or eliminate educational programs that teach America’s future leaders how to appreciate and protect our environment.

Pea Island NWR, NC – This refuge boasts an enormous array of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, including breeding American oystercatchers and loggerhead sea turtles. A planned replacement bridge and highway would carve through the heart of refuge wetlands, requiring constant maintenance as even mild storms regularly inundate the road with sand and ocean water.

Rappahannock River Valley NWR, VA – With one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles on the East Coast, this refuge provides wildlife with an island of wilderness in a region where urban development is steadily encroaching. Without the funds to acquire available neighboring land, the refuge is at risk of bring surrounded by development, making the refuge into a decorative center piece instead of a crucial wildlife oasis.

Rhode Island NWR Complex, RI – Local children have long been taught the importance of the wildlife, habitat and ecology of Rhode Island’s five refuges that provide a haven for thousands of birds traveling the Atlantic Flyway, including hawks, falcons and songbirds. But lack of funds has forced refuge staff to cease their educational programs, despite an increasingly desperate need for environmental education in a quickly developing area.

San Luis NWR, CA – With 95 percent of California’s wetlands drained, filled or destroyed, this critical stopover and wintering grounds for migratory ducks, geese and cranes along the Pacific Flyway is a haven for the weary travelers. But the water they find there is decreasing in quality and quantity, year upon year, due to commercial competition for California’s limited water supply.

Trempealeau NWR, WI - Thousands of wood ducks and black terns share these Wisconsin skies, located at the confluence of the Trempealeau and Mississippi rivers, with monarch butterflies, blue-winged teal, hooded mergansers and tundra swans. But these native beauties are under attack from a marching army of invasive plants and animals that severely undermine the environmental health of the refuge.

Yukon Flats NWR, AK – The retreat of a bitter winter and the arrival of spring brings millions of waterfowl to the refuge, where they transform the landscape from a quiet wilderness to a chaotic courtship and breeding ground. Efforts to drill for oil and natural gas in the refuge are threatening this ancient ritual as an ill-conceived land swap aims to trade away key habitat to industrial developers.

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities.  With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org

[1] North Carolina DOT Bonner Bridge Update June 2003