We were fortunate to have Charlotte's local National Public Radio Station WFAE take an interest in our concern for our two resident Bald Eagles. When the WFAE reporter said he was going to meet with the staff at the Carolina Raptor Center to understand more about the American Bald Eagle I assumed this was good news. I could have not be more wrong and disappointed.
From Nick's broadcast:
Inside the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville, President and CEO Erin Katzner checks on a pair of disabled eagles in an enclosure. She said Mecklenburg County has more bald eagles than you might think.
"I know that we have some on Mountain Island Lake, there's some up on Lake Norman. If there's good habitat, there's very likely to be bald eagles nesting in the area," she said.
The last measurement of Charlotte’s tree canopy found it has shrunk to cover 45% of the city, down from 49% a decade ago. Katzner said habitat loss is a concern, but also said bald eagles are skilled at adapting.
"You know, I've seen bald eagles live in fairly developed areas, and fairly undeveloped areas, so it's really hard to say if it's going to be an issue for those birds, and what exactly would need to be done to prevent it from being an issue," she said.
She thought there were a few steps the developer could take.
"If it were me, I would probably want to protect that lake, protect that water system, which I imagine they would want to anyway, and ensure that some of those large trees remain standing," she said.
Obviously those of us who are very concerned about our Eagles "Glen" and "Piper" were stunned. Erin Katzner could not have been more dismissive. The raptor center director basically tossed us and our birds under the passing CATS bus.
Chip Starr's response to her on air comments is as follows unedited.
Erin,
I just wanted to make you aware that the habitat we feel is at risk cannot be preserved by the developer ensuring that "some of those large trees remain standing".
As an example of what is at risk is a developer's project approved by the City of Charlotte last year and less than one mile west, that was once 53 acres of native North Carolina Forest.
Here is the before:
While Bald Eagles are indeed admirably adaptive, we are fairly certain that the projected five - seven years of heavy construction while completing the eight apartment buildings, that will tower over 65 feet can not be mitigated with a couple of large trees and a dredged pond with a fountain.
Yes, there are eagles at Mountain Island Lake and a reported pair at the far northern end of the Lake Norman area, but that is hardly more than most people might think are in Mecklenburg County.
The North Carolina Wildlife Commission says there are 400 known eagles in the state and to me that seems substantially limited compared to say Florida's 1,500. More objectively with 100 counties and 400 known Bald Eagles, North Carolina has exactly four eagles per county which again doesn't seem like a lot to me.
Furthermore, the Mountain Island area you mentioned to WFAE is surrounded by nearly 2,000 acres of Mecklenburg County Forest and Nature Preserves. While here in south Charlotte there is the Big Rock Nature Preserve that has a nominal 18 acres, add that to a few miles of rather polluted trash strewn Four Mile and McAlpine Greenways and anyone with even limited common sense would understand this developer’s project is a terrible idea.
Obviously, I'm rather surprised that you would trivialize our concerns not only for this nesting pair of Bald Eagles but for all wildlife and the challenges nature is facing within the southern part of Mecklenburg County.
Frankly, I expected more from the Raptor Center in the way of advocacy.
Regards
Chip Starr
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