The Southern Environmental Law Center released its Top 10 Most Endangered Places today, and three are in North Carolina — Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, Snowbird Mountains, and the Cape Fear Basin.
Each face "immediate, potentially irreversible" damage in 2011 from a variety of threats, ranging from energy exploration to road and bridge construction.
Here are the findings reported by SELC:
The Pea Island National Refuge, regarded as a birder's paradise, is threatened by the Bonner Bridge replacement proposal, which will require constant maintenance and rebuilding due to storm overwash and could fail to provide a safe and reliable evacuation route.
The Snowbird Mountains, a section of the Nantahala National Forest that is a magnet for hikers, anglers and other outdoorsy types, is threatened by an outdated highway expansion plan that would necessitate the excavation of 3 million cubic yards of rock in the national forest and require cutting nearly 3,000 feet of tunnel under the mountains.
The Cape Fear Basin, a coastal ecosystem that provides habitat for wildlife and is a recreation destination for birders, fisherman and paddlers, is threatened by a massive cement plant that would destroy 1,000 acres of wetlands and habitat and further pollute the river with levels of mercury harmful to people and wildlife.
View the complete top 10, or check out the updates for the places listed on the 2010 list.
Comments
most threatened
Tue, 01/18/2011 - 15:38 — henryeHighways and Bridges have to be built to serve people..It seems we have chicken little running amok with the sky is falling..as a former supporter and also having praticed good habits on the farm.. like rotating our crops ..But today these people are becoming the scourge of the earth with almost insane ideas ...with many rules that are absurd...However I still support those who use common sense in environmental matters..