Effect of red knot’s new protection on NC unclear

WILMINGTON, NC (AP) — State officials say it's too early to know how the declaration of the red knot as a threatened species will affect the North Carolina coast.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Atlantic coast population of the robin-sized shorebird to the federal Endangered Species Act in December. Some researchers estimate the species population has plummeted in 20 years from nearly 150,000 to as few as 20,000 today.

Officials with Audubon North Carolina tell the StarNews of Wilmington the red knot uses North Carolina's beaches and inlets as stopover habitat during its spring and fall migrations.

Spokeswoman Michele Walker of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management says the designation will affect some projects, just as other protected shorebirds do, but the extent isn't known yet.

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