Damage to woodpecker nests feared

Awendaw council backs development

AWENDAW — Despite warnings from area conservation groups about a development's potential to destroy habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker, Town Council gave preliminary approval to a large development in the center of town.

Members of the Coastal Conservation League, in conjunction with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said they would sue the town if it gives the rezoning final approval, because the development's potential effect on the woodpecker would violate the Endangered Species Act.

Developers call the proposed subdivision Fenwick at Bull's Bay, a 305-home gated community on 196 acres off Doar Road. Council voted 3-0 Monday to give the rezoning ordinance first-reading approval, the first step toward approving the development.

The presence of the bird could be a deterrent to further development, as it has been in other areas.

Last year, after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stopped development in Boiling Spring Lakes, N.C., because of the woodpecker, residents cut down thousands of trees to prevent their homes from being classified as endangered species wildlife habitat. They feared that an inability to develop their land would devalue their properties.

But such cases are rare, said Jason Ayers, a wildlife biologist at Fish and Wildlife's Charleston office. Ayers said the agency usually is able to work with developers to protect the bird, either by setting aside at least 75 acres for habitat, trying to move nests or by having the developers contribute to conservation of other habitats.

Biologists have described the woodpecker as a "keystone species," because so many other animals benefit from it. Previous preservation efforts have led to the restoration of a half million acres of longleaf pine forest in the state, a 25 percent increase since 1995.

Though the nearby Francis Marion National Forest is a major habitat for the bird, it is not known whether the Fenwick site has any nests. Birds on private property are usually handled by site visits on a case-by-case basis.

Residents voiced their opinions Monday for and against the measure to a standing-room-only crowd at Town Hall.

Proponents argued that development is inevitable, and that this could mean more goods and services for the town.

Andrew Manigault, who is selling most of the land for the development, said he was frustrated with residents who aren't originally from Awendaw but don't want more development.

"They don't want anybody else to move in," he said. "It's ridiculous. You can't stop growing."

Those opposed to the development said they feared it was too dense and would harm the environment in a pristine area.

"We have no issue with someone selling his property; that's our right as citizens. But we feel that it should be done with some sense of responsibility to one's neighbors," said resident Nell Daniels. "We are surrounded by federal lands, by the Francis Marion National Forest and by the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. We have the privilege of living here, but we also have the responsibility to preserve and protect these lands."

A spokesman for Coastal Venture Group, the developer of Fenwick at Bull's Bay, declined to comment.

Reach Lucia Walinchus at 937-5921 or at lwalinchus@postandcourier.com.