Post by L Roebuck on Nov 15, 2006 10:31:50 GMT -5
Endangered species could delay 131 bypass
By Jef Rietsma
THREE RIVERS -- If investigating environmental experts find that the site of the U.S. 131 bypass around Constantine is the habitat of endangered species, it could delay completion of a critical study necessary for the project to continue.
None of the three species in question has yet been found, however, and supporters of the project are encouraged.
A federally required environmental impact study, being conducted in advance of the bypass work, has been pegged for an October 2007 completion. The study may hit an indefinite delay, however, if biologist contractors hired by the Michigan Department of Transportation are able to validate the presence of the Indiana bat, Massasauga rattlesnake and copperbelly water snake. The mammal and reptiles are either state- or federally-listed as threatened or endangered and have a natural range that includes Southwest Michigan.
Full Article
By Jef Rietsma
THREE RIVERS -- If investigating environmental experts find that the site of the U.S. 131 bypass around Constantine is the habitat of endangered species, it could delay completion of a critical study necessary for the project to continue.
None of the three species in question has yet been found, however, and supporters of the project are encouraged.
A federally required environmental impact study, being conducted in advance of the bypass work, has been pegged for an October 2007 completion. The study may hit an indefinite delay, however, if biologist contractors hired by the Michigan Department of Transportation are able to validate the presence of the Indiana bat, Massasauga rattlesnake and copperbelly water snake. The mammal and reptiles are either state- or federally-listed as threatened or endangered and have a natural range that includes Southwest Michigan.
Full Article