Concerns for feral cats upends Orange Beach vote on Perdido Key Beach Mouse Habitat Conservation

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A meeting to wrap up nearly a decade of work to streamline building permits in Orange Beach while protecting native habitats erupted when audience members questioned how predatory animals such as cats would be handled under the plan.

The Perdido Key Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit, when approved, will allow the city of Orange Beach the ability to review and permit development in such a way as to limit impacts to critical and suitable habitat.

“If we get our permit, we can issue building permits within 30 days. A typical single-family home right now would take about three years to get a permit and a condo five to seven years,” said Phillip West, Coastal Resources Manager for Orange Beach.

The city’s HCP is modeled after the Escambia County Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan which was approved in 2014 and was focused on the Perdido Key Beach Mouse located in Perdido Key, Florida.

The Perdido Key Beach Mouse is considered critically endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is found only along the Gulf Coast.

City leaders say the conservation plan allows for growth while maintaining those needed conservation efforts.

“This document is a result of seven years of work between U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Escambia County. The heavy lifting has already been done and we are simply piggy-backing on the provisions that are accepted, vetted and tested because Escambia County has been issuing permits for a few years now,” West said.

Audience members, however, were concerned about the treatment of predatory animals under the plan, especially cats.

The plan specifies “Any feral animals or free ranging pets will be captured and removed. The capture and removal of feral animals will be accomplished through onsite management or contractual arrangements with permitted nuisance species trappers and/or City Animal Control. If house mice are found within the managed project area, a trapping program shall be implemented and the mice removed. Pesticide and herbicide application will be prohibited in exterior areas of the units at all developments.”

After several questions, West specified that free roaming cats that were considered pets would be trapped as well.

Mayor Tony Kennon said, “This is U.S. Fish and Wildlife directive and we don’t get sideways with fish and wildlife. We do what fish and wildlife tells us to do. They own our lives down here. We have gone around and round on this and I don’t know if there is any further discussion to be had other than someone needs to understand we don’t function without fish and wildlife helping us to function.

“The folks advocating for the protection or some particular program for the feral cat population was invited to participate in this process, am I right,” Kennon asked.

West replied, “We have had discussions with them, and they have had discussions with U.S. Fish and Wildlife.”

When Kennon opened the floor to public comment, Tom Conerly, Former Animal Care and Control Office for the city of Orange Beach, addressed the council.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think you have the whole story. I am asking right now that you table this until the next meeting,” Conerly said. “We are not talking about stopping all this stuff. We are talking about what this HCP contains. If you haven’t read it, you need to read it”

Kennon responded, “I don’t want to be ugly but please make us understand why after months and months of negotiations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, we are supposed to stop and back off.”

Conerly explained that members of the Orange Beach Animal Care and Control Program want specific wording in the HCP stating that the group will be contacted to trap and relocate feral cats. The group also wants to build a cat sanctuary using mitigation money. According to Conerly, this was agreed upon during talks with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, but it is not included in the document.

West and the city attorney, Wanda Cochran, told residents that the HCP uses general terms and any group can be used to remove predatory animals. He added that the predatory animal policy is only in effect in the Perdido Beach Mouse Habitat area of Orange Beach.

The city has also been involved in talks with the mayors of Gulf Shores and Foley on the possibility of a Tri-City Shelter and has committed to a feasibility study.

Councilman Jeff Boyd asked, “Is there a fear out there that the city of Orange Beach is just going to go out there and take cats and kill them?”

The crowd responded with a firm “Yes!”

“Are you aware of a fact of us doing that now,” he asked. “All we have done is contribute to the spay and neuter program to help with the feral cats. We have not spoken ever about harming a cat. I don’t know where it started from or why but from our point of view this is as painful for us listening to you.

“Today where we sit, this council has been here for seven years and we have never done anything except protect an animal, ever. Look at the millions we spent on the beach. Look what we have done for the turtles. Anytime we have been asked for cat money we are the first ones to write a check. Where did the mishap happen where you all are looking at us like animal killers and we are sitting here like holy cow where is this coming from? Tom you were our animal guy. Did you ever hear anything about any of us ever wanting to hurt an animal,” Boyd asked.

Conerly replied, “No.”

The council voted unanimously to sign the cover letter which now serves as a statement of commitment to the Habitat Conservation Plan in the event the permit is granted to the city.

The conservation plan now awaits final approval by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.