To the Editor:

I was dismayed to see that trees were already being cut down for the housing development at Black Creek Estates in Guilderland Center, since only preliminary plat approval had been given.

The woods are inhabited by the long-eared bat, a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The bats roost under the bark of trees and eat many insects, making them an important part of the local ecology.

Even though there is a state Department of Environmental Conservation regulation prohibiting the cutting of trees in a long-eared bat habitat between April 1 and Oct. 1, the work was approved by the town without the community’s knowledge.

Is it permissible for the town of Guilderland to disregard DEC regulations when it is inconvenient for the developer? It certainly was not in the interest of the town, the residents of the town, or the long- eared bats to start construction without final plat approval.

Even if some legal loophole was found so that the construction work could begin early, this action was not within the spirit of the law.

Janet Betlejeski

Guilderland Center

Editor’s note: See related story.