BROOMFIELD, Colo. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency is currently asking for public feedback on a potential permit for a developer that wants to build an apartment building near an eagles’ nest in Broomfield.
The permit is known as an “incidental take permit,” which would allow unintentional disturbance of the eagles nesting near the site.
According to a release from USFWA, the edge of the construction zone would be about 530 feet away from the next. When the building is finished, it would sit 660 feet away from the nest.
“This bald eagle nest is one of the most profound treasures in all of Broomfield or the Broomfield community,” said Dana Bove with Front Range Nesting Bald Eagle Study.
Bove wants USFWA to deny the permit, mostly because of what he saw with a similar project near this same nest in 2014.
Bove says during construction, an eaglet died in the nest and the pair of eagles vacated the nest and tried to rebuild further away from the construction.
“We need to preserve the habitat for species like this in our area,” he said.
USFWA says the developer has made several concessions to mitigate the impact of the construction on these raptors.
The city and county of Broomfield has also worked with the developer on several points. Broomfield will require the developer to build a 12 foot wall of hay bales to reduce the impact of the sound of the construction.
The city will also require the developer to provide nest monitoring during the construction process, which would halt the construction if a disturbance in the nest is noticed.
It also require people working on the construction project to take an eagle awareness class with curriculum approved by the county.
Next reached out to the developer but did not get a reply.
You can send your feedback to USFWA through April 29th via email at FW6BroomfieldEagleEA@fws.gov or via mail at:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Migratory Birds
Attn: Brian Smith
P.O. Box 25486 DFC
Denver, CO 80225-0486
