The Atlantic Fields developers appear to have shown that under the proposed zoning change, they meet all the regulations. Congratulations to them. But this does not mean the zoning must be changed.
Regardless of whether a zoning change is legally or technically allowable under the developers’ proposal, there are other factors to consider, such as our way of life here in Coastal Sussex.
But the overriding reason for not changing the zoning is that the Atlantic Fields project is a desecration of the environment.
And it is not just a matter of open space and farmland being paved over, it is a question of the protection of the Atlantic Flyway. Have you ever witnessed the spectacular sight of thousands of snow geese and other migratory birds converging on that very plot of land at certain times of the year?
Delaware is the most important U.S. state on the Atlantic Flyway, because the routes from the north converge over us. While the Atlantic Flyway is not a legal entity in itself, there are numerous agencies that have management responsibility for migratory bird resources on the flyway, under the aegis of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to the service, snow geese and Canada geese are listed as protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Have any state or county officials considered how the elimination of large tracts of land from the flyway impacts migratory bird resources and survival?
Go to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, click the search icon for Atlantic Flyway, then click on: Atlantic Flyway Upcoming Meetings and Calendar of Events. There you will see the name of a flyway representative you may contact. To download a map of the flyway, go to fws.gov/media/atlantic-flyway.
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