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Eagle 'hot spot' in Virginia could be replaced by a golf course and resort
Eagle 'hot spot' in Virginia could be replaced by a golf course and resortHealth & Science
By Darryl Fears July 21
TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. — The emerald tree canopy on this town’s scenic high cliffs is something of a luxury community for bald eagles. There are gorgeous views of the Rappahannock River, nice fishing and tasty seafood. Best of all, it’s one of the top places in the Chesapeake Bay region to raise their young.
But if the corporation that owns the land where they live has its way, moving day will come soon. Richmond County recently approved a request from Diatomite Corporation of America to rezone a large section of the cliffs for a sprawling resort with pricey housing and an 18-hole golf course atop a habitat used by tens of thousands of eagles each year.
The proposed development on the rezoned land has set off a heated skirmish in sleepy Richmond County, which federal troops occupied during the Civil War. It also is known as the place where native tribes fired arrows at explorer John Smith as he sailed through in 1608. In the fall, the county board will consider whether to allow construction.
....
“You feel like you’re being shot at all the time,” said Robert Smith, an attorney for Diatomite, which is based in Miami, according to court records. The land that conservationists call historic and pristine was once denuded for resources to fight the Civil War, Smith said. Now, the eagle population, which has rebounded nationwide after being classified as endangered, is so plentiful that they appear to be everywhere in Virginia, he said. ... “It’s a false assumption that man and nature can’t co-exist,” Smith said.
By Darryl Fears July 21
TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. — The emerald tree canopy on this town’s scenic high cliffs is something of a luxury community for bald eagles. There are gorgeous views of the Rappahannock River, nice fishing and tasty seafood. Best of all, it’s one of the top places in the Chesapeake Bay region to raise their young.
But if the corporation that owns the land where they live has its way, moving day will come soon. Richmond County recently approved a request from Diatomite Corporation of America to rezone a large section of the cliffs for a sprawling resort with pricey housing and an 18-hole golf course atop a habitat used by tens of thousands of eagles each year.
The proposed development on the rezoned land has set off a heated skirmish in sleepy Richmond County, which federal troops occupied during the Civil War. It also is known as the place where native tribes fired arrows at explorer John Smith as he sailed through in 1608. In the fall, the county board will consider whether to allow construction.
....
“You feel like you’re being shot at all the time,” said Robert Smith, an attorney for Diatomite, which is based in Miami, according to court records. The land that conservationists call historic and pristine was once denuded for resources to fight the Civil War, Smith said. Now, the eagle population, which has rebounded nationwide after being classified as endangered, is so plentiful that they appear to be everywhere in Virginia, he said. ... “It’s a false assumption that man and nature can’t co-exist,” Smith said.
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