A small plant native to Klamath Falls could become a big problem for the city's airport.
Applegate's
milkvetch, an endangered plant found at the Crater Lake-Klamath
Regional Airport, was a topic of interest at a Monday work session at
City Hall. Members of Klamath Falls City Council and staff discussed how
the plants are affecting design of a new runway at the city's airport,
and the steps needed to find a solution.
There are about 22,000
Applegate's milkvetch plants at the city's airport, but only 1,000
plants could interfere with the Taxiway J project at Crater Lake-Klamath
Regional Airport, according to city staff. If a solution cannot be
reached to design a taxiway that doesn't interfere with the milkvetch
plants, Airport Director John Longley said the city should redirect work
to Taxiway G. A biologist is slated to study the plant with Operations
Manager Bill Hancock next week, and provide more information at a later
date.
"While we have worked to address the milkvetch issue, time
has been tolling against entitlement funds and carry over to support the
project," Longley said in a memorandum.
An altering role
Hancock said the core of the milkvetch plant is subterranean, and modifies alkaline soil so other plants can grow.
"It's
like an iceberg," Hancock said. "There's a part of it below ground.
It'll grow dormant and in a month, you won't even find evidence of the
plant above the surface.
"Bunnies like it," he added.
Councilors
agreed that city staff should consider Longley's recommendation to
preserve the Taxiway J improvement and Taxiway G work, which would save
the city the loss of grant money.
"If (Taxiway) J doesn't work,
we have the ability to maintain our initiative on (Taxiway) G," Longley
said. "(Taxiway) G will be a win because it will support the (Air
National) Guard; it will support aviation in general."
City
Manager Nathan Cherpeski said he hoped to receive help from the Federal
Aviation Administration to find a solution to the environmental issue.
"We're not the only airport dealing with endangered species issues," Cherpeski said.
Source: http://www.chinookobserver.com
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