Iceland's hidden elves delay road projects

[Dougtone]

I came across an article in the Albany Times-Union about a road project in Iceland where elf advocates and environmentalists are trying to stop a road construction project because it is going to cause an impact that would harm an elf habitat and disturb an elf church.

A much more in depth article can be found at...
http://www.timesunion.com/news/science/article/Iceland-s-hidden-elves-delay-road-projects-5085823.php

[cpzilliacus]

I came across an article in the Albany Times-Union about a road project in Iceland where elf advocates and environmentalists are trying to stop a road construction project because it is going to cause an impact that would harm an elf habitat and disturb an elf church.

A much more in depth article can be found at...
http://www.timesunion.com/news/science/article/Iceland-s-hidden-elves-delay-road-projects-5085823.php

I am sure the Sierra Club would be happy to take up the cause of the elves if they thought it could delay or stop a highway construction or improvement project.

[NE2]

I am sure the Robert Moses Fan Club would be happy to team up with the elves to send the highway through hep cat territory.

[hotdogPi]

They made a typo. It's Elvis.

[english si]

From the article:

In this land of fire and ice

surely it's not elves, but snarks and grumpkins that they have to watch out for.

[Jardine]

and the frumious bandersnatch . . .

[Alps]

They made a typo. It's Elvis.

I think it's Iceland's hidden Ylvis. "What does the environmentalist say? No-yo-yo-yo-yoyoyoyo"

[Duke87]

I remember my sister telling me that sometimes roads in Ireland would we built with seemingly random sudden curves to avoid having to cut down a "fairy tree". Superstition is still mainstream in some parts of the world.

[NE2]

Superstition is still mainstream in some parts of the world.

Pretty much all parts of the world. See also: cemeteries.

[english si]

and the frumious bandersnatch . . .

What has Lewis Carroll got to it?

OK, my post was an obscure (and not very good) geeky joke I was making, about the stuff Lannisters joked about north of the Wall in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, playing off "the land of fire of ice" quote.

[Jardine]

just as real as the elves, grumpkins, and snarks.

[Brandon]

and the frumious bandersnatch . . .

What has Lewis Carroll got to it?

OK, my post was an obscure (and not very good) geeky joke I was making, about the stuff Lannisters joked about north of the Wall in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, playing off "the land of fire of ice" quote.

O/T rant: Can he hurry the hell up and finish the sixth book already!?!
/rant.

[jeffandnicole]

I remember my sister telling me that sometimes roads in Ireland would we built with seemingly random sudden curves to avoid having to cut down a "fairy tree". Superstition is still mainstream in some parts of the world.

Or like the many cases where some tree, that no one has even looked at for 50 years, suddenly becomes the focal point of protestors to stop a road widening/highway/development because of some vague historic possibility, like George Washington may have once peed on that tree. Many of those protestors will ignore the fact that in order for Washington to have gotten to that tree, he would have walked thru the land that the protestor's half-million dollar mansions sit on that were built 3 years ago, making it just as historical as Washington's pee spot.

Of course, some drunk at 2am will leave the bar with his friends, find the tree, then chop it down or set it ablaze.  And they probably pee on it as well.

[707]

Might as well use Bigfoot as a reason to prevent any new roads in the Northwest. "We shouldn't hurt what we've never seen and will probably never see!"

[Jardine]

Surely if Bigfoot was real, somebody would have nailed one with a Buick by now.

So to in regards to Icelandic Elves.  How much body damage a year do the local shops repair from the inevitable collisions ??

[cpzilliacus]

Or like the many cases where some tree, that no one has even looked at for 50 years, suddenly becomes the focal point of protestors to stop a road widening/highway/development because of some vague historic possibility, like George Washington may have once peed on that tree.

We went through this with the InterCounty Connector.

There were objections raised because of the possible presence of bog turtles in the way of the planned route (none were found), because of "champion" trees (there were not any in the path of the road), and old growth forests (the entire path of the road had been logged several times over the centuries).

[jeffandnicole]

Bog turtles must be the most over-abundant rare species.  Someone or some group always tries to say there's possible evidence of them in seemingly every project.  If they are that popular, why are they listed as a rare species???