more on ESA and bryozoans

[Kenyon Mobley]

  Copyright 1999 Palm Beach Newspaper, Inc.
>>
>>                              The Palm Beach Post
>>
>>               March 6, 1999, Saturday,  MARTIN-ST. LUCIE EDITION
>>
>>SECTION: LOCAL,  Pg. 1B
>>
>>LENGTH: 613 words
>>
>>HEADLINE: DREDGE HALTED BECAUSE OF RARE CREATURE
>>
>>BYLINE: Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
>>
>>DATELINE: FORT PIERCE
>>
>>BODY:
>>   Dredges pumping sand onto Fort Pierce's South Beach were stopped Friday
>>by a
>>federal judge who agreed the Army Corps of Engineers may not have done
>>adequate
>>environmental impact studies before starting the project.
>>
>>   U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy in Washington issued a temporary
>>injunction stopping the work until further hearings are held on whether
>>the work
>>should be stopped permanently.
>>
>>   St. Lucie County officials said the work stoppage will cost $ 50,000 to $
>>80,000 per day in fees that must be paid to Weeks Marine Inc. of Camden,
>>N.J.,
>>whether they're pumping sand or not.
>>
>>   ''Our money will go to the contractor and we'll have nothing to show for
>>it,'' County Commission Chairman Paula Lewis said. ''The earliest we'll be
>>able
>>to resume work is probably February, 2001, and we'll have no money.''
>>
>>   Dredges started work this week and had pumped about 100,000 cubic yards of
>>sand onto the beach, Lewis said. Plans called for nearly 1 million cubic
>>yards
>>to rebuild the beach from the South Jetty to near Ocean Village condominium.
>>
>>   Two scientists and three environmental groups filed suit in Washington
>>Monday
>>seeking the project halt because the Army Corps of Engineers did no
>>studies on
>>the presence of 12 species of ocean creatures called bryozoans.
>>
>>   The only place the species have been found is Capron Shoal, the underwater
>>sandpile 3.5 miles off Fort Pierce where the corps obtained sand to renourish
>>the beach.
>>
>>   Such rare animals are entitled to special consideration under the
>>Endangered Species Act, the suit said.
>>
>>   Kennedy heard arguments Thursday and issued his stop-work order Friday
>>morning, attorney Eric Glitzenstein said.
>>
>>
>>   ''The judge said it appears likely we will prevail after further
>>hearings,''
>>Glitzenstein said. ''The corps says these species likely are found elsewhere,
>>but they haven't looked for them.''
>>   Corps officials could not be reached for comment Friday.
>>
>>   ''I want to see the beach renourished, but I'm disappointed the corps
>>didn't
>>do adequate review of alternate sites and consider these species,''
>>Commissioner
>>Doug Coward said.
>>
>>   Commissioner Cliff Barnes is angry opponents torpedoed years of work
>>on the
>>project.
>>
>>   ''The allegation these creatures are rare or non-existent elsewhere is
>>completely unsubstantiated,'' Barnes said. ''Nowhere do the opponents say
>>they
>>looked a half-mile away or a mile away to see if these species are there.
>>
>>   ''This may save these creatures . . .  but it leaves our beaches
>>unprotected
>>through another hurricane season and reduces turtle-nesting areas.''
>>
>>   The suit was filed by Judith E. Winston, a Martinsville, Va., researcher;
>>North Beach resident Brian Kilday, who works at Harbor Branch Oceanographic
>>Institute; the St. Lucie Audubon Society, Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie
>>County and the St. Lucie Waterfront Council
>>
>>   Shoal harbors new bryozoan species
>>
>>   Bryozoans are tiny marine animals that live on grains of sand or in
>>colonies
>>between sand grains, seaweed and pilings. Nine new species and a new genus
>>live
>>on Capron Shoal off Fort Pierce.
>>
>>   HOW THEY LIVE: Imagine sand grains as giant boulders, water thick as honey
>>and bits of food drifting by in the glop. Stormy weather stirs the sand,
>>causing
>>injury, death and damage.
>>
>>   WHAT THEY EAT: Bacteria and microscopic algae.
>>
>>   KEEPING CLEAN: When algae soils the colony, it sheds its outer layer.
>>
>>   SEX LIVES: They reproduce sexually and asexually.
>>
>>   LIFE SPANS: Unknown; believed short.
>>
>>   VALUE TO HUMANS: Part of ocean's water-cleansing filter system. Unexplored
>>potential. Bryozoan relatives contain a potent anti-cancer agent used to
>>treat
>>lymphoma and leukemia.
>>
>>   Source: Judith Winston, scientist
>>
>>NOTES:
>>Info box at end of text
>>
>>GRAPHIC: MAP (C), MARK HEMPHILL/Staff Artist, Location Map of Capron Shoal
>>
>>COMPANY:  ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (84%);
>>
>>LOAD-DATE: March 8, 1999
>>
>>
>>
>>Defenders of Wildlife
>>1101 14th St. NW, Suite 1400
>>Washington, DC 20005
>>(202)-682-9400 ext. 283
>>fax: (202)-682-1331
>>LHood at Defenders.org
>>

KBM