If you’ve been wondering about something in your community, Ask The Times is your place to get answers. The following question was submitted by a reader and answered through the efforts of our news staff.
Is DNR keeping a watchful eye on our breeding ospreys’ nest? I am consumed with worry that DOT is going to do something to jeopardize the life and safety of the chicks when they hatch and before they are old enough to fledge.
“We have worked with DNR, the (U.S. Army) Corps (of Engineers) and (a) local utility company to make sure we are sensitive to the ospreys,” DOT district spokeswoman Katie Strickland wrote in an email. “We have a special provision in the contract for this work that prevents us from interfering with them.”
The state Department of Natural Resources affirmed the DOT’s commitment to the ospreys’ safety.
“DOT has an environmental unit that has set policies and oversees compliance during construction activities near nests and for other scenarios involving birds (as well as other species),” DNR spokesman Rick Lavender wrote in an email. “The construction company involved in this project, and DOT staff on the ground, are well aware of the osprey nest and any limitations in construction activities that need to take place while the nest is active.”
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