To the Editor:

Under the pretext that their projects were delayed by the lockdowns, some communities in our area are using the recent pandemic and lockdowns as an excuse to deforest and develop heavily wooded properties along Route 534 in Penn Forest and Polk townships during bird nesting and amphibian breeding seasons in Pennsylvania.

June is nesting season for north central and northeastern Pennsylvania birds and a time of peak activity for migratory songbirds returning to their summer homes after wintering in Central and South America.

Some of these deforestation projects are occurring on land adjacent to the Bethlehem Watershed property, which is an Important Bird Area and home to an exceptional variety of rare plants and animals unique to the Poconos. Birds and active nests are protected from harm or harassment by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, but even if no nests are directly disturbed, the earsplitting noise of chain saws and construction equipment can disturb birds and other wildlife in surrounding areas, causing some to abandon their nests.

Responsible planning requires that deforestation and construction activities in forested areas be restricted to times of the year when trees are dormant and these activities are less detrimental to plants and animals in the wild.

Thousands of businesses and projects in Pennsylvania were put on hold during the lockdowns. Communities and land developers should not be given a free pass to circumvent environmental guidelines under the pretext of these delays.

Juliet Perrin

Albrightsville