Vermont Electric Power stops to help a feathered friend

Author: Kelly Janis

When the Vermont Electrical Power Company (VELCO) scoped out the proposed site of its new line easement corridor on the banks of South Slang Creek, near Vergennes, it found its desired transmission pole structure already occupied. But it was not another utilities company that had beaten VELCO to the punch. Instead, two far more adroit creatures had taken up residence on the Green Mountain Power distribution line: a breeding pair of ospreys, nest and all. What was an environmentally conscious company to do?

The osprey - sometimes referred to as a fishhawk, seahawk or fish eagle, flaps its long, narrow wings across every continent except Antarctica, swooping down in a flourish to scoop up the unlucky constituents of its fish-rich diet. This medium-large raptor so confounded taxonomists with its distinctiveness from other diurnal birds of prey that it scored its very own genus (Pandion) and family (Pandionidae). It has also garnered its fair share of pop culture references: the bird is the official mascot for numerous sports teams and appeared on the 1986 series Canadian $10 note.

But not everything is rosy for the osprey. The bird seeks out tall structures upon which to construct its heaping nest of sticks. If an adequate quantity of such structures is not available, the osprey is forced to delay breeding. In the past, the species has confronted the threat of extinction in certain regions as a result of an inability to reproduce sufficiently, making such delays a cause for concern.

Consequently, efforts known as "osprey relocation" or "osprey re-establishment" have been undertaken with increasing frequency over the course of the past three decades. Such efforts entail constructing artificial structures on which ospreys may nest in order to promote the species' survival. According to conservationists Glen Rhodenizer and P.J. Austin-Smith, in an article written for the Department of Natural Resources in Nova Scotia, projects of this breed are "an example of how both public and private agencies can work together successfully to protect and conserve wildlife resources."

VELCO, which, according to its website was organized in 1956 to develop an integrated transmission system to interconnect the numerous Vermont electric utilities and to provide them with access to economic power from the St. Lawrence River project, is convinced of the merits of the re-establishment endeavor.

"VELCO has been an active participant in osprey re-establishment since the early 1990s, when it installed its first osprey nest platform," said Meg Barros, Corporate Communications Coordinator for the company. "VELCO crews have constructed successful nesting platforms at Colchester Pond in Colchester, at the Sand Bar Wildlife Management Area in Milton, and most recently, near Lake Memphremagog."

In the vein of previous successes, VELCO decided to furnish the South Slang Creek ospreys with a cozy new home.

At 8 a.m. on Monday, a crew trudged through formidable snow banks to spend three hours erecting a 40 foot wooden pole and nesting platform for the raptors.

"VELCO is relocating the nesting site approximately 130-140 linear feet northwest of its current location, outside of the easement corridor," Barros said. "The proposed nesting location will give the breeding pair an unrestricted line of flight north and south along the creek, and provide an ideal perch location above a semi-open field."

Was the venture a success? Bird lovers can breathe easy - according to Barros, "Everything went as planned."