St. Pete Beach is home to one of the largest skimmer colonies in Florida.
Their chicks could be threatened if the city goes through with its plan to shoot off fireworks near the county parking lot this Fourth of July, scaring off the adult birds, according to Eckerd College biology professor Beth Forys.
"With the blast being this close, we’re worried the adults are going to leave for a while and the chicks, some of them, are going to starve," Forys said. "Hopefully, the adults will return, but we don’t know that for sure."
Forys said she measured the distance from the skimmer colony to the firework blast location near 4700 Gulf Boulevard and it was only 200 yards. The biology professor said federal guidelines recommend fireworks be shot off no closer than three-quarters of a mile from the protected birds.
"Colonies where adults were almost as close (to fireworks) in New Jersey have just (been) abandoned," she said. "The adults have left the chicks for good."
Forys said she counted 135 nests at the St. Pete Beach skimmer colony and wants the city to move the fireworks display back to Upham Beach, which is more than a mile away.
"If there’s death, they will be liable for killing the birds," she said. "So I really hope they can put the fireworks where they’ve had them successfully for several years."
The city began using Upham Beach after a fireworks accident at the county parking lot in 2007. Mayor Maria Lowe said they city decided to go back to the traditional location this year because that's what the residents wanted.
"We had made the decision at the request of our residents to move it to the center of our city," Lowe said. "So that everyone from north to south could enjoy the fireworks display."
Lowe said a safety study was done to ensure an appropriate blast zone. The fireworks display costs about $25,000. The mayor said using a barge is too expensive and would cost the city an extra $8,000.
"We actually have three total options available. The city can go forward with the county park display," she said. "We can move the display to Upham Beach or we can cancel the display altogether and not have a city sponsored fireworks display."
City leaders are feeling pressure from environmentalists who created a Facebook page called "stop the City of St. Pete Beach from killing our Black Skimmer Chicks." Lowe said she's leaning towards canceling the fireworks display and putting that money back into the capital improvement projects fund.
"We have several unfunded projects that, really, the residents would benefit from the long-term as opposed to a one night display of fireworks," she said. "Perhaps get a new set of restrooms at Lazarillo Park. Which would really benefit everyone.”
Forys said her goal is to protect the birds, but she would feel bad if the fireworks display is canceled.
“I would feel horrible about having the fireworks canceled," she said. "But I’m going to feel horrible if I’m here the Fourth of July night and a lot of birds are dying, too."