An article on June 27, “CMP To Remove Osprey Nests,” may have left the wrong impression with some readers.
Central Maine Power rarely disturbs the birds during the nesting season, and we don’t intend to change our practices as we build the Maine Power Reliability Program.
Hundreds of ospreys nest on our utility poles. We share your readers’ concerns for the safety of these birds, and our company has policies and personnel in place to manage these nests responsibly.
CMP collaborated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify about 60 sites where osprey nests were likely to be affected by the project over the entire 350 miles of corridor from Eliot to Orrington.
Each year during the late fall and winter, we will remove the empty nests that will be affected by the following year’s construction to minimize the chances we will need to disturb an active nest. This is consistent with our long-standing management practices for maintaining the reliability of our system and reducing the risks to ospreys.
Although we plan to remove only inactive nests, we may encounter situations where an active nest must be removed for safety, reliability or new construction. For those occasions, our personnel are trained on the laws that protect birds of prey, and CMP holds a federal fish and wildlife permit, authorizing the removal of osprey nests under special circumstances.
As a condition of our permit, CMP works with Avian Haven, a nonprofit wild bird rehabilitation center in Freedom anytime we disturb an active nest. In those instances, the eggs or chicks are removed under the supervision of the USDA and given to Avian Haven for care and eventual release.
Janet Dyer
Senior environmental specialist
Central Maine Power
Augusta
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