Osprey nest's move tangled in red tape
Monday, 11 Apr 2011, 10:31 PM EDT
Jeremy Campbell
FOX 13 News
TAMPA - It's a story about the cost to do the right thing: a Tampa man found an osprey nest on his construction crane, and called all the right people to move it.
But on Monday, the feds stepped in and prevented him from doing anything.
Everyone thought they'd gone through all the red tape to move the nest. They got state permits, but then the feds shut it all down.
The whole situation has some people worried that if relocating an animal is so difficult, in the future people won't even bother.
John Salonen called animal rescue agencies to safely relocate the birds and even halted operations on his work in McKay Bay in the Port of Tampa. Now he's caught up in a nest of bureaucracy.
"We felt 95 percent we were going to be able to move these birds this morning and now we're faced with this technicality. We thought we'd gone through the red tape," said Wildlife Rescue Volunteer Nancy Murrah, who works with the Tampa Audubon Society.
At the last minute, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied their request. The feds believe the 2-week-old chicks aren't in any danger now, but moving them could be harmful.
"We wouldn't attempt this if we didn't think that we could do it," Murrah said.
"It's costing us quite a bit of money. Right now we're burning probably $4,000 a day with the equipment and crew cost, and no end in sight. This may last for two months," Salonen said.
Compare that to the $5,000 fine for removing the birds without permission.
"We'd be glad to pay just to get out of here, but there may be some other attachments like prison time," Salonen said.
So for now, the osprey will stay 150 feet high over the shrimp docks. It's easy to see why the birds would want to build on the top of the crane.
"They have the view of all of the bay. They have great fishing. Mullet are out here swirling," Murrah said.
The birds must have thought they found the perfect home, but a platform secured on the ground about 200 yards away is waiting for them -- if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says yes.
"We're kind of stuck, and it's frustrating for everyone," Murrah said.
Obviously the feds just want to protect the baby birds, but rescue volunteers fear that with all the red tape, some people might take matters like this in their own hands, and eliminate animals when no one's looking.
And when no one's looking, people don't always do things safely or with respect to wildlife.
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