Editorial: Hyde County should follow Dare and ban released balloons

Released helium balloons with their strings attached continue to appear on Ocracoke’s beaches. Picked up by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore staff throughout the year, their numbers are staggering: 1,786 balloons in 2023 and, no doubt, exponentially more are blown out to sea.  

Tragedy strikes when sea animals, such as 50-year-old, 500-pound loggerhead turtles that have survived incalculable threats over their lives under the most challenging environmental circumstances, are killed by eating balloons.

To these magnificent creatures, deflated balloons resemble jellyfish or squid, common prey for them as well as for dolphins and whales. Necropsies have shown that balloons can block digestive tracts, leading to malnutrition, starvation and internal injuries causing complications leading to death.

Balloon strings can wrap around all sorts of animals, restricting their movements causing slow, agonizing deaths.

It is not just wildlife that has been negatively impacted. Utility companies complain that balloons made of mylar are responsible for many utility power outages when they connect with power lines. Their silvery coating serves as a conductor for electricity and can short transformers just by coming near high-voltage lines.

As balloons decompose, they release harmful chemicals and pollute the environment with microplastics. Anyone who loves fishing knows how harmful these are.

Then there is the issue of inflating balloons with helium. This gas with unique properties, is a finite resource and crucial for medical tests such as an MRI and for treating respiratory conditions like asthma and COPD. Helium is needed for lots of scientific research.

There have been shortages of this important gas over the years. So, we need to manage this precious resource wisely and ensure its availability for essential uses. The bottom of its list of uses should be recreational, that is, balloons.

Environmental organizations have warned about these dangers and have tried to educate about alternatives to balloon releases.

Now local governments are taking action.

In April, the Duck Town Council became the first on the Outer Banks to enact an ordinance prohibiting the release of inflated balloons within the town limits. Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head subsequently banned balloon releases.

After a July 16 public meeting, the Dare County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a balloon release ban for the unincorporated areas of the county. Now that the rule is in place, it is illegal to release balloons anywhere along the Outer Banks shoreline, from Duck to Hatteras Village.

The success in getting these bans in place can largely be attributed to Debbie Swick of Southern Shores, the creator of Ban Balloon Releases NC.

Similar ordinances are in effect in Wrightsville Beach, Topsail Beach, North Topsail Beach and Surf City.

A ban on released balloons can serve as an educational tool making people realize about how balloons can harm wildlife, particularly marine animals and birds and can foster a sense of responsibility and empathy towards the environment. It can help people in Indiana or Ohio learn how far these balloons released locally can travel and kill animals they love.

We urge the Hyde County Commissioners to take similar action to that of the Dare County commissioners. It will send a message that Hyde County supports efforts to help its wildlife, as aspect of the county that attracts thousands of visitors.

Such an act would not harm businesses as there are plenty of other ways to commemorate events.

Hyde County Commissioners have monthly meetings that take place in Swan Quarter and can be viewed at the Ocracoke Community Center as well as online on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page.

They welcome public comments. Those who support an ordinance can attend a meeting commissioner meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, or Wednesday, Sept. 4, in the Ocracoke Community Center and voice their support.