In a June 27 letter to Edgecomb Selectman Jack Sarmanian, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declared that an eagle’s nest on Davis Island may not be removed at this time.
The decision is a blow to the town’s efforts to revive the Wiscasset Bypass Project, which was shelved in November. The town has argued that a proposed alternate route through Edgecomb would affect 31 homes.
In the letter from Regional Fish and Wildlife Director Marvin Moriarity, it was explained that removing the nest is not possible because the situation does meet specific criteria.
“Safety emergencies are the only circumstances under which a permit may be issued to remove or relocate a nest that is being actively used,” Moriarity wrote. “According to this criterion, the active nest on Davis Island in Maine cannot be removed or relocated because this does not constitute a safety emergency.”
Speaking at a July 14 meeting of the Edgecomb Board of Selectmen, Chairman Sarmanian said the letter was the first response the town had received from any agency involved in the bypass process.
“The letter itself is ill defined with very little data in the explanation,” said Sarmanian. “This involves the estrangement and uprooting of families who have lived here for years.”
Selectman Stuart Smith suggested the town look for a legal loophole in the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act which governs the decision making process of the USFW.
“We need to have a lawyer write them a letter stating an opinion,” said Smith. “I don’t see any justifiable way for them to find a way around this. You can move an eagle’s nest.”
The board agreed to contact various elected officials on both the state and national level.
In his only public comments on the issue, Gov. Paul LePage said “people pay taxes, eagles don’t” at a Capital For a Day campaign in Lincoln County on May 20.
The Governor’s emphatic endorsement has done little to stir the red tape surrounding the project, though a decision is expected soon, said DOT officials.
In the meantime Edgecomb town officials have vowed to continue the fight and scheduled an impromptu meeting of the Edgecomb Bypass Taskforce on July 19.
In other business, the board signed a hazard mitigation plan for Lincoln County as recommended by Edgecomb Asst. Fire Chief Larry Omland. The meeting concluded with a discussion of an upcoming town meeting scheduled for Sept. 26. The warrant will feature only two articles: one to raise and appropriate $1,000 for a five-town shellfish coalition, and one to raise $3,000 for the Wiscasset ambulance service.
The next meeting of the Edgecomb Board of Selectmen will be held on Aug. 2 at 6 p.m.
