Neighbors Concerned That Talaris Doing Maintenace Work Too Close To Eagles Nest

 

 

Sprinkler system work last month at Talaris

near eagles nest

 

 

 

Baby eagles on Talaris property 

July 2013

 

The Laurelhurst Blog recently received several emails from concerned neighbors living near Talaris (4001 NE 41st Street) that maintenance work looked too close to the well-known eagles nest on the property, located just off NE 41st Street. In March, several nearby resident observed adult eagles in the nest .

In April, a concerned neighbor wrote that she was "hearing dump trucks and seeing a digging machine too close to eagles nest.  Where do I report this?"

The Laurelhurst Blog Staff followed up with Erin Doherty, with the City's Landmarks Preservation Board, who said:

I communicated with the Owner’s representative and he said that they were “grinding and repaving a portion of the asphalt driveway that has several cracks and potholes in it”.   

 

Dave, DPD’s Chief Building Inspector, was subsequently sent to the site to see what activity was occurring around that time and said:

We observed a sprinkler system water line being installed, which did not require a plumbing inspection or permit. 

The work we observed is well away from the Eagle nest location.  We estimated about a quarter mile.

Seth, a DPD Planner, said about the eagle regulations:

The State Department of Fish and Wildlife no longer requires local jurisdictions to implement eagle protection measures when they issue development permits therefore DPD does not have a point person for this issue.    

The requirements under WAC 232-12-292, which we used to implement, are only effective “when the bald eagle is listed under state law as threatened or endangered.” Bald eagles were reclassified by the state from “threatened” to “sensitive” in Washington back in 2008, which made WAC 232-12-292 no longer in effect (see

The USFWS currently runs a permit system for potential “take” of bald eagles under authority of the Bald Eagle Protection Act but it is separate with different requirements from the former state program; they also can cite people/entities for unlawful take of eagles.

 

 

 Mark Miller, the contact at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for the Pacific region said:

Bald and golden eagles are protected under the (Federal)  Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service has developed guidelines for activities near eagle nesting territories.   

However, when the Service reviews activities that will be conducted near an eagle nest, we consider the specific circumstances of that eagle nesting territory and then make a determination whether that activity might disturb the eagles and whether any measures are necessary to minimize the probability of disturbing the eagles.  

I am not familiar with the specific circumstances regarding the eagle nest in question.  The eagle guidelines are general guidance and can be tailored to the specific circumstances of a particular eagle nest.   It is the responsibility of the landowner to ensure that their activities do not disturb eagles or obtain a eagle disturbance/take permit from the FWS. 

The recommended buffers are 330' and 660' but it depends on the specific circumstances of each particular eagle nest.  In most instances, activities are allowed within those recommended buffers.

 

Concerns about disruption to nesting eagles should be directed to the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Washington Eagle Contact Line at (360) 534-9304 or on-line.   

Mark Miller  can be reached 360-534-9347 or by email at , Mark_Miller@fws.gov. 

Sprinkler work at Talaris

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Sprinkler photos courtesy of DPD)