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Critical Habitat for the Piping Plover
Date Filed: 04/30/2009
Case Status: Victory!
Cape Hatteras Access Preservation Alliance v. National Park Service
Defenders successfully defended in court the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to designate critical habitat for wintering piping plover in portions of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Pea Island Wildlife Refuge. On August 17, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted summary judgment for Defenders and the FWS over a consortium of North Carolina off-road vehicle (ORV) users that challenged the Service’s decision in February 2009. Defenders and the National Audubon Society intervened in the case with legal assistance from the Southern Environmental Law Center. For more information about ORV use and its impacts on wildlife in this area, see our related case to force the National Park Service to regulate ORV use at “Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”
The piping plover has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1985. The beaches of North Carolina play a vital role in all stages of their life cycle. Critical habitat designation of areas of portions of beaches at the seashore will protect the species from disturbance and in its recovery.
Related Documents
Co-filers:
National Audubon Society, Southern Environmental Law Center
