Wood stork demands prudence at air station

The Navy's draft environmental impact statement on Joint Strike Fighter squadrons proposed for Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort claims that the endangered wood stork does not exist on the base or in the proposed region of influence for the new jets.

But these birds are well-documented residents of northern Lady's Island. Surely the tax-paying public is not being asked to believe the storks simply choose to stay on the east side of Brickyard Creek and never fly over to the base or into flight zones.

This federally protected endangered species only lives in a handful of states. Sadly, because of other shabby environmental planning, much of their existing habitat has been seriously threatened by the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Wood storks do live on Lady's Island, and nothing should be allowed to threaten the shrinking, critical habitat of this endangered bird. Prudence, environmental ethics and the Endangered Species Act should influence the military to abandon any plans to increase noise and jet activity at the local air station.

Randy James

Beaufort