The new pole is up for osprey to find and then build a nest. Last year an osprey died when it got tangled in the bailing twine it used to make the nest. Fish & Game came out immediately to rescue the bird, but Fish & Game Regional Biologist Joel Sauder says it was too high to reach without specialty equipment.
“Last year it was a chain of events that no one could have predicted. Bucket trucks were not available, they were outside the county, the fire department’s truck was in for repairs, we were on to plan g or f at that point to get this bird rescued.”
Recently, they removed the old platform and nest, and today (Weds) Avista Utilities installed a shorter pole that will be easier to reach in an emergency. The nest will be roughly at the same altitude as the old one because they moved it up the hill. That makes it easier to reach with a shorter bucket truck and they won’t have to stop traffic in an emergency. Now it’s up to the community to keep bailing twine and fishing line cleaned up.
“There’s not much we can do to change their behavior. We’re hoping by replacing this nest and taking down the old twine that eliminates that problem, and hopefully we can keep this nest clean so this won’t be a problem in the future.”
Sauder says this operation has absolutely been a team effort. Not only is Fish & Game involved, but Avista Utilities donated the pole and labor, and the City of Lewiston worked quickly to get permission to add a new pole to the land by the Southway Bridge. Now it’s a waiting game. Sauder says the osprey could arrive any day and start building a brand new nest.
