With Only Days Remaining Before the Permit to Remove the Potter Valley Bald Eagle Nest Expires, Wildlife Photographer Calls for Action

An opinion piece about PG&E’s plans to remove the Potter Valley Bald Eagle nest by Ann Constantino, local wildlife photographer.

Eagle in the Potter Valley nest. [Photo by Faith Rigolosi]

PG&E has had since last August to remove a 120 foot tall Ponderosa Pine housing a Bald Eagle nest in Potter Valley that the power company has deemed a fire hazard. A permit was issued by US Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the tree sometime between August 2022 and January 14, 2023. Dozens of local citizens have been braving the storms and holding vigil to protest the removal as the eagles, busy preparing their 2023 nursery, can be seen daily in the tree and nearby.

The January date was arbitrarily named as the start of Bald Eagle nesting season by USFWS, despite the fact that local Bald Eagles begin restoring their nests as early as late fall. The claim that nesting season begins only when eggs have been laid in the nest ignores the months of rebuilding and pair bonding that the birds engage in long before eggs are actually laid.

For PG&E to insist on doing this work by January 14, this coming Saturday, completely disregards the fact that nesting season begins long before the unsupported and ornithologically false claim that any one date can be said to mark the start of nesting season. If the intention, according to California law, is to protect birds during nesting season, this date must be thrown out and the obvious fact that birds are nesting now must be acknowledged.

Local Redwood Region Audubon Society president Gail Kenny stated in the organization’s recent Facebook post: “The work should have occurred in the fall before the eagles returned to the nest. However now that the pair is at the nest, the circumstances of the analysis are no longer valid. PGE intends to remove the nest tree anyway and it appears that USFWS is not willing to change their position because of the political nature of PGE & their power lines causing fires.”

Furthermore, as to the potential hazard represented by this tree, while live green trees have been toppling all over the state during the current siege of storms, the Potter Valley Eagle nest tree remains standing tall.

The claim that the eagles will find another spot to have their young this year if the tree is cut before Saturday discounts the deep disturbance to their process that began as much as two months ago, and there is no guarantee they will have time to rebuild much less start from scratch.

It is also worth noting that no live power lines are anywhere near the tree, and in fact the hazardous line has been turned off since last August. There is no danger of electrocuted eaglets as one agency spokesperson disingenuously implied in other media reports.

Eagle, nest, and utility line. [photo by Joseph Seidell]

Just last night (January 9, 2023) about 6:30 pm, a power line snapped about 150 feet from the nest tree, on an adjacent live line, brought down by a very much alive nearby tree falling due to wind and saturated ground. PG&E crews were dispatched to make repairs.Ukiah arborist, Alex Thomas, examined the tree last year and issued the following conclusion in his report: “It is my final recommendation that the tree and by extension nest, be left unmolested until such time as a more comprehensive study can be made into the true and lasting impacts removal would have on the environment as a whole, and that alternative solutions than tree removal be considered, and where appropriate, employed in mitigating the risk this tree may pose to the public.”

One local neighbor reports seeing the nest built over thirty years ago. Many young eagles have been fledged from this nest, including as recently as last summer.Please call PG&E at 800-743-5000 and ask for public affairs regarding their tree removal program, or ask to be directed to their complaint department. Email or call Heather Beeler at USFWS ([email protected] / (775) 861-6304) to let her know your objections to the taking of this tree before January 14. Once nesting season has concluded in early summer, if the tree had to be removed, the eagle pair would have plenty of time to establish a new site for their 2024 nest.

The Potter Valley locals do not intend to give up their fight to save the tree even if this nesting season is protected and the tree is not cut before Saturday. They are consulting with arborists on ideas for keeping the tree standing well into the future. they have established a GoFund me page to cover their considerable expenses for upholding the law: https://gofund.me/a92a4e33

Earlier:

• Tree Holding Bald Eagle’s Nest in Potter Valley Gets Stay of Execution After Bird of Prey Comes Home
• PG&E Agrees to Hold Off Cutting Tree Hosting Eagles’ Nest in Mendocino County
• Potter Valley Bald Eagles Could Lose Nest as PG&E Cites Closeness to Power Lines