Repaving Project May Be Blocked By Birds
ACAMPO, Calif. (CBS13) -- A San Joaquin County repaving project could be stopped before it begins if a protected hawk is found to be living near the road.
County officials are sending an in-house biologist to check about 2 miles of Acampo Road for signs of Swainson's Hawk nests, a threatened bird protected by state laws.
Neighbor Joan Copper says she sees hawks frequently flying above the area on any given day.
"Everything is so over-protected and over-done, sometimes it gets to be a little too much," she said.
A group called Friends of the Swainson's Hawk said construction equipment can seriously damage the birds' habitat and disturb their nests.
"That can cause nest abandonment, it can cause disturbance, it can cause death in hawks, eggs that don't hatch," said group president Judith Lamare.
The biologist is expected to search the area sometime next month.
The preventative maintenance work on the road will cost about $300,000.
