Another of the Walmart battles being fought nationwide. More at the link. Note my bolded phrase.
The commonly known Allegheny Alligator surfaced at the public hearing concerning the expansion of Wal-Mart in the village of Allegany Wednesday night.
David J. Seeger, a Buffalo environmental attorney well-know to Allegany County nuke dump fighters, attended the meeting representing Community First, a group bent on busting Wal-Mart’s Allegany expansion plans. Seeger brought with him information on a tiny salamander that may or may not exist in the Allegheny River in which, water from 2-Mile Creek is deposited. Run-off from the Wal-Mart parking lot eventually runs into the creek. The Eastern Hellbender Salamander, better known locally as the Allegheny Alligator, Seeger said, is recognized by the Department of Environmental Conservation as a specie which needs “special consideration.” Seeger is asking the DEC to place the salamander on the threatened or endangered specie list. Then he wants the DEC to investigate the river for the existence of the salamander.
Seeger also brought other concerns to the hearing. According to him the expansion plan is a non-conforming use under current zoning law, and the storm water system management is not acceptable under DEC regulations. “I’m asking the planning board to vote no on the site plan and development plan approval for this expansion plan,” he said.
Nearly 200 people attended the meeting. Buttons expressing “Yes Wal-Mart” or “I Support a Super Community,” were about evenly distributed. Most who expressed concern about the expansion project cited low wages, poor health benefits, and a lack of public concern for the community as reasons why not to let the retail giant expand its current facility.
Most of those for the expansion project cited the local store’s good wages, life-saving health care and its $152,000-plus contribution to local charities in 2005. Many of them were Wal-Mart employees.
UPDATE:Inhabiting only two of New York State’s river drainages, the eastern hellbender is an intriguing and bizarre animal and hails as the Americas’ largest aquatic salamander. Sexually mature adult hellbenders range in size from 12-29 inches (30-74 cm) and vary in color from grayish to olive brown and occasionally entirely black. Individuals usually sport dark mottling over the back and upper sides. Several loose flaps of thick, wrinkled skin, which serve a respiratory function, run laterally along either side of the animal. These salamanders are perfectly adapted to their swift flowing stream habitats with their flattened head and body, short stout legs, long rudderlike tail, and very small beady eyes.
How’d you like to have one of these little *** creatures *** swim by you? 29 freakin’ inches long!
