The gatherings of transitory birds and the many nesting pairs nearby make this a standout among the most vital spots on the East Coast for bald eagles, based on the conservation officials. Yet this bucolic scene is currently threatened, they say, by an enormous extravagance resort proposed for about 1,000 sections of land on cliffs where eagle wheel in the skies above.
The planned resort on Fones Cliffs has infuriated area conservation advocates, property owners and the researcher who chronicled the momentous recovery of the bald eagle, once apparently bound to take after the dodo into extinction.
Bryan D. Watts, one of the country's top eagle specialists, stated that the stream stretch where the birds feed is a national sweet spot that offers the ideal menu and environment for nesting and migratory birds alike. He also added that the extravagance resort would push eagles away.
The developer of Fones Cliffs Resort and Spa has moved this natural adventure into the personal, attacking opponents as protection extremists and baronial area proprietors intent on saving the view from their inconceivable property.
The designer denies that, and counters that the restriction is obstructing financial improvement and employments the resort would convey to Richmond County, a country territory of under 10,000, two hours south of Washington and an hour and a half upper east of Richmond. Indeed, even the country's symbol is taking it on the beak in this fight.
In this way, Smith's arguments have won. The Richmond County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in November to favor a zoning change required for the improvement to continue on Fones Cliff, which stretches out for a few miles along the river.
But a who's who of preservation and ecological groups, as well as influential Virginia landowners, has promised to restrict the project at all times. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has not ruled out legal activity.
Other than the eagles, improvement opponents refer to the pristine environment and a history that incorporates Native Americans and Capt. John Smith, the pioneering Jamestown explorer who paddled the Rappahannock four centuries back.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
