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Public Facilities Committee forwards airport wildlife-management policy to County Council
Summary
The committee voted to send a countywide airport wildlife-management resolution, covering Hilton Head Island and Beaufort Executive airports, to County Council for consideration; county airport leadership said the policy is a safety measure to reduce wildlife strikes and clarified it is not targeted at any specific individuals or groups.
Beaufort County’s Public Facilities Committee voted to forward a resolution adopting an airport wildlife-management policy to County Council after a staff presentation and questions from committee members.
John O’Toole, airport leadership for Beaufort County, said the proposed policy is an airportwide safety policy covering both Hilton Head Island Airport and Beaufort Executive Airport. “It’s a policy, a safety policy at the airport that is in line with other policies at airports around the nation,” O’Toole said, adding the aim is to “prevent, minimize wildlife strikes with aircraft.”
O’Toole told the committee the policy is not aimed at “any specific item at the airport” or at particular individuals, and he said some concerns raised at a prior meeting involved people who are not county employees. He said two of the three previous public commenters were federal employees (TSA) and that airport leadership has communicated with the TSA chain of command. He also said airport staff have met with tenants and caregivers for animals near the terminal and described those conversations as “respectful, cordial, and mutually understanding.”
Committee members asked about wildlife attractors near the airports, including retention ponds and nearby tidal creeks. O’Toole said stormwater rules and the low-country environment limit what the county can do adjacent to the airports, but the county provides guidance to municipalities and developers and has suggested mitigation measures such as netting or floating balls for surface ponds.
A motion to place the resolution on the floor was made and seconded; committee members raised follow-up questions and there were no objections recorded when the committee approved forwarding the item. Committee staff said the item will be sent to County Council in approximately two weeks for final consideration.
The committee packet included additional background materials and hyperlinks that O’Toole said were added after committee feedback at the November 2024 meeting. O’Toole noted national aviation incidents covered in recent news as background for the county’s desire to strengthen safety measures at both airports.
The committee’s action is procedural (sending the resolution to County Council); County Council will consider final adoption and any implementing language or conditions.
Looking ahead, the Council’s deliberation will determine whether to adopt the countywide policy and, if adopted, how the county will implement specific mitigation measures around retention ponds, tenants, and adjacent development.
