Releasing inflated balloons is now illegal across most of the Outer Banks. Last week, the Dare County Board of Commissioners adopted a measure banning the intentional release of balloons within unincorporated areas of the county. Violators will face a hefty $250 fine.
The county action followed similar votes in recent months in five of the county’s six towns. In April, Duck became the first to adopt a ban , with a civil penalty of $250 for violators. On May 1, Nags Head commissioners approved a ban with a $50 fine, followed by Southern Shores on May 7 with a $250 fine, Kitty Hawk on June 3 with a $250 fine and Kill Devil Hills on July 8 with a $25 fine.
Earlier this year, Southern Shores resident Debbie Swick spearheaded an effort to make the release of balloons illegal on the Outer Banks and across the state, launching “Ban Balloon Release in North Carolina” and a Change.org petition. “Balloons are something we can control,” Swick told Dare County commissioners at the July 16 board meeting.
“Not trying to make them go away, just trying to act responsibly.” Inflated balloons are popular for graduations, gender reveals, weddings and memorials, but they can wreak havoc on the environment. Birds, turtles and other animals commonly mistake balloons for food, which can harm or even kill them, according to the U.
S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Marine species like dolphins, whales and turtles, as well as animals such as cows, dogs, sheep and birds have all been hurt or k.