Bald Eaglet 'Endangered' By Broomfield Development: Birders

BROOMFIELD, CO – Broomfield birders are rightfully proud of the bald eagle's nest in an ancient cottonwood tree near Del Corso Park, and the baby eaglets that have been born at the so-called Sterns Nest. But severe winds earlier this month damaged the nest and killed two of this spring's three babies.

Now eagle advocates in the Broomfield Bird Club are worried that the remaining eaglet may also be in danger -- from noise and activity from a proposed 288-unit Caliber at Flatirons apartment complex planned for the lot adjacent to the old cottonwood and scheduled to begin construction in May, 2018 through late 2019.

Indiana-based developers The Garrett Companies, under the name Garrett Construction, LLC applied to the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife for an "eagle incidental take permit." The permit would shield the developers from liability if the eagles are disturbed or killed during construction. The US FWS encourages developers to work with the wildlife service to lessen "unintentional disturbance, injury or loss of eagles due to otherwise lawful activities."

But another eagle advocacy group, Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Studies, sued the US Department of Fish and Wildlife in federal court asking for a regulatory review of the agency's decision to grant the permit to Garrett.

Dept. of Fish and Wildlife is now asking for public comments on the permit, the agency said in a press release.

The eagles' nest is located 530 feet from the planned construction. The company said construction will include "heavy equipment and light duty traffic, excavation, building foundation and construction of apartment units, associated infrastructure, and a park." After construction, the building will be 660 feet from the nest.

So far, the construction company has proposed "increasing the distance from the nest to any vertical construction, creating a buffer boundary that is clearly marked and fenced to help contractors avoid the eagle nest and the adjacent area, erecting additional fencing to help minimize sound disturbances, restricting construction to outside of the eagle incubation and early nestling periods, among other efforts," the agency said. The company will be required to monitor the nest for three years following construction.

“We’ve been going back and forth with the construction company about how close they can get,” the bird club's Barbara Kozacik told Denver 7.

Judy Enderle told reporter Lance Hernandez that the construction noise and human presence may cause the eagle parents to abandon the nest. “It’s happened before,” she said. “This is the only eagle’s nest in Broomfield. We want to make sure the eaglet survives.”

The Service is seeking comments through April 29, 2018 via email at: FW6BroomfieldEagleEA@fws.gov, or via mail at: U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceMigratory BirdsAttn: Brian SmithPO Box 25486 DFCDenver, CO 80225-0486.

Read more on Denver 7's website.

Read the lawsuit here:

Broomfield Bald Eagle Nest Complaint vs US Fish and Wildlife Service by JeanLotus on Scribd

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