ASHEVILLE – Today’s burning question concerns a reader’s worries about animals and development. Are animals able to find a new home after their old one is demolished? What does the city and county do to protect wildlife?
Question: I was reading about the Prestige Subaru the other week and couldn’t help but think about the wildlife that used to live in that area. Did the development push out the animals? What does the city or county do to stop development from pushing ecology out?
Answer: This question reminds me so much of some recent experiences — for better or for worse.
When I was leaving a City Hall meeting in October, my exit from the College Street parking garage was blocked by a lost yearling black bear.
Less than two weeks later, we reported on tourists who were approaching bears on the Blue Ridge Parkway, as if they were visitors in a petting zoo.
It’s not entirely clear how development and human growth has encroached on natures boundaries.
For this new Prestige Subaru development, I recently reported that some environmental considerations, such as erosion control ponds, were addressed during the development process.