Airport is Not for the Birds
- February 7th 2025
- City News
Grasshopper Sparrow
Photo: Pixabay
By Quinnly Raducha, University of New England
The manager of Sanford’s airport made a pitch to the City Council on Feb. 4 for state legislation that would exempt airports from some endangered species restrictions.
Allison Navia, who manages both Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport and the Fryeburg Airport, explained that the bill from Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford would treat airports differently from other areas because of the possibility that airplanes will run into birds or other animals enjoying the protected natural environment near runways.
“Airports and wildlife don’t mix,” Navia said. The Federal Aviation Administration has spent money on wildlife hazard assessment, wildlife hazard management plans, and a federal depredation permit for migratory birds. This means airports must keep grass between 6 and 10 inches long. In the summer months, grass near the airport gets much longer, Navia said, because of protections mandated for the endangered grasshopper sparrow.
“You are not allowed to touch that grass from May until August 15,” she said. This can have the unintended consequence of attracting deer and other wildlife that could pose a danger to planes.
There were two deer strikes at Sanford’s airport in 2017, before fencing was put up next to the runways. The deer deemed that area a safe zone and would cross back and forth between runways at dawn and dusk, when it was hardest to see them, Navia said.
The Council voted to adopt a resolution in support of LD 138, the act to exempt airports from certain state endangered species habitat protections.
