County set to sue over loggerhead designation

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BEAUFORT (AP) — The Carteret County commissioners have authorized a lawsuit if a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal designating crucial loggerhead habitat on Bouge Banks is approved.

The federal agency has proposed designating almost 750 miles of beaches from North Carolina to Mississippi as critical habitat for the endangered sea turtles.

The Daily News of Jacksonville reports commissioners (http://bit.ly/13QZ7JJ) approved a notice of intent to sue after a presentation that nesting density data does not support designating critical habitat for any of the 96 miles of North Carolina beaches in the proposal.

Opponents of the designation have said they are in favor of protecting the turtles but the designations could hurt the ability of communities to rebuild their beaches because renourishment could not be done during turtle nesting season.