Plans for mountain bike trails in Virginia Beach state park are canceled
Mountain bike trails proposed for First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach are being reconsidered after an environmental impact study concluded bikes are harmful to the park’s unique landscape. “It’s going to take more conversation and more work,” Sen. Bill DeSteph told the Virginia-Pilot.
The study found that cyclists have already harmed the landscape at First Landing State Park by creating “ghost” trails that have eroded the soil and by using chainsaws to cut down trees that blocked the unofficial path. “Once roots are exposed and subjected to repeated stresses from bike tires or foot traffic, it becomes only a matter of time before tree mortality results, stabilization of the dune is compromised, and forest integrity is degraded,” the study said.
200 acres of SC wetlands to be filled by Charleston-area developer
South Carolina’s environmental agency has granted a pair of certifications for a Charleston-area developer to fill more than 200 acres of wetlands in one of the city’s most flood prone areas, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) said on their website. The wetlands are slated to become a mix of housing and commercial construction called the Long Savannah development project.
SELC is asking the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control to reconsider the approval for the project. “So many of the homes in the Church Creek basin area of Charleston have suffered flood damage year after year because builders have repeatedly destroyed the wetlands that protect us from flooding,” Chris DeScherer, managing attorney of SELC’s Charleston office said. “It doesn’t seem like a good idea to fill another 200 acres of valuable wetlands and give stormwater even fewer places to go.”
Florida family finds 9-foot alligator on their doorstep
Heading outside to go on a hike or run? In Florida, it’s a good idea to scan the stoop before you step over the threshold. Case in point: A family in Tampa, Florida opened their door to find a 9-foot alligator with missing limbs resting on their front porch. The family was unable to get the gator to move and eventually called in the services of a reptile rescue facility.
To protect unsuspecting visitors to the home, residents in their neighborhood posted signs that read “Delivery stop! Leave packages here! Alligator at front door!! (seriously)” to warn delivery drivers of the stubborn gator. The alligator was eventually removed by employees of Croc Encounters and will now live at the organization’s facility.
Beach grass on dunes at Sandbridge Beach in Virginia Beach, Virginia – Photo courtesy of Getty Images by SherryVSmith_Images
