WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and weather - Rare Woodpeckers Upset Boiling Spring Lakes Residents
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BOILING SPRING LAKES -- A seven-inch long bird has Brunswick County residents tearing their land apart.
The red-cockaded woodpecker has found its habitat in trees around Boiling Spring Lakes. The rare bird is an endangered species, therefore residents are not allowed to build around or cut the trees where the woodpecker has built a nest, unless they have received permission from the government.
Some residents have obtained permits to clear the land of trees, before the birds could build nests. Seventeen permits had been given out since September 1.
Residents in the area are not happy with the limitation to their land use that the bird has brought.
"A lot of people see their investment going down the drain," said land owner Bill Davis, "because they see their investment getting hung up in fish and wildlife."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is holding a meeting Tuesday evening to answer any questions.
Reported by Kelli O'Hara
