Jay Weiser writes in with a look at a better balance of development and environmental protection in Seattle:

Great blue herons aren't sleepless in their rookery in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, but, the Post-Intelligencer reports: "The city is poised to adopt an ordinance that would limit all outdoor construction within 500 feet of the rookery between Feb. 1 and July 31 -- when the herons have their courtship, build their nests and raise their young." The 59 nesting pairs of herons aren't in an endangered species, but the neighborhood is about to have a surge of construction due to the closure of a local military base, and Heron Habitat Helpers, a local conservation group, is worried that construction noise will drive them away. The Northwest is already overregulated, and the proposed ordinance will drive up construction costs, but it will make the spectacular herons—four feet tall, with a six-foot wingspan—more likely to remain in place (which, in crass economic terms, is a local amenity). In contrast, the federal Endangered Species Act is harsh—banning construction on protected habitat with no compensation to the owner. Not surprisingly, many owners faced with the possibility of an Endangered Species Act designation bring out the bulldozers to wipe out the habitat beforehand. Seattle is striking a better balance.