Comments on a pending permit application could offer local officials an idea of what to expect from the recent designation of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach as critical habitat for loggerhead sea turtles.
New Hanover County Shore Protection Coordinator Layton Bedsole updated the Wilmington-New Hanover County Port, Waterway and Beach Commission about the status of a backup permit to renourish Kure Beach in 2016.
The federally funded project is normally performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The permit pursued by Bedsole allows the county to perform the project during an emergency.
Bedsole said he suspects the new habitat designation influenced U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s review of the permit application. He responded to the comments and is awaiting a final opinion.
“I think critical habitat had something to do with their comments. We responded in a manner that addressed the critical habitat, I thought, and we’ll see where the next round goes,” he said.
Bedsole did not reveal details about the permit, which is pending approval, but said he passed the comments and his responses to the corps division that will pursue authorization to complete the same project.
“I know it’s going to affect what they do. I’m just trying to give them an opportunity to talk about that now rather than later,” Bedsole said. “I find if everybody’s talking, we get a better decision.”
Fish and wildlife service announced in July the designation of 685 miles of coastline from North Carolina to Mississippi, including Pleasure Island, as critical habitat for sea turtles. Designation went into effect Aug. 11.
Pete Benjamin, supervisor of the FWS’s Raleigh Field Office said, during a July interview, designation would not significantly impact the work or outcome of beach management projects, but it would add a new section to the biological opinion prepared for every authorization of federally funded beach projects.
The permit pursued by Bedsole is different than the process the corps will undergo to secure authorization, but he said the comments might give the corps an idea of what to expect.
“I’m interested to see how fish and wildlife addresses the corps authorizations for current coastal storm damage reduction projects and current corps projects. That’s not just in North Carolina. That’s within every state that critical habitat hit, and for every project. That’s a lot of corps projects,” Bedsole said. “That’s a lot of work, or it could be.”
Commission chairman Dennis Barbour agreed.
“It’ll be interesting to see how much additional work goes into the process as a result,” Barbour said.
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