If horses ever will
have the run of a new high-end planned community in Lake County’s
Kirtland Hills Village, then American bald eagles will continue to
soar above the proposed equine-related project.
In fact, the eagles
are all ready homesteaders on a large piece of private property
located within the village, edged on the north by Interstate 90, Ohio
Route 615 on the west, and Chillicothe Road to the south and east as
the pie-slice-shaped parcel curves back up toward the interstate.
The property is
generally and locally known as the Jerome T. Osborne Sr. horse farm;
a holding right out of a Kentucky thoroughbred estate. Nestled in
about the center of the property is a copse of tall trees including
one on the grove’s western fringe that contains a several-year-old
American bald eagle nest.
Some concerns had
been expressed to state and federal wildlife officials regarding the
future of the nest and its support tree, given the scope of an
ambitious proposal called the “Equestrian Dream.” This planned
community – which still must jump through its own set of
bureaucratic hoops before becoming a reality – could feature 12
five-acre home sites (the minimum required by the upscale Kirtland
Hills Village code), built along Chillicothe Road.
Along with the lots
and any homes the development would feature a 30-acre “common area”
where property owners could ride their horses.
Equestrian Dream is
the brain child of Richard Osborne Sr., a well-known Northeast Ohio
developer and the son of the late Jerome T. Osborne Sr.
Just where the
American bald eagle nest and its support tree fits in any future
development plans will require meeting strict federal guidelines.
After all, the current eagle residents have legal squatters’ rights
to the tree and its nest.
Consequently, the
laws are very specific as to what can and cannot be done to a nest
and any supporting structure as well as any disturbances within
specified federal standards, says Deanne Endrizzi, avian biologist
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Midwest Region.
Endrizzi said that
the Service requires an extensive permitting vetting process to help
ensure that eagle nests and whatever structure that supports them are
protected – a condition that also requires monitoring and
cooperation on the part of state fish and game agencies. In this case
that would be the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which is aware of the
Osborne Farm eagle nest but much less so regarding the Equestrian
Dream proposal.
“It is important
to remember that eagle nest are protected year-round whether they are
occupied or not,” Endrizzi said.
“One of the good
things for the nest,” Endrizzi said also, is the proposal’s plans
call for five-acre lots so that aspect should help in not crowding
too close to the eagle nest.
“But permits are
still needed and we wouldn’t do that until any actual building
begins,” Endrizzi said.
Not surprisingly how
both federal and state officials remain firmly committed to eagle
protection is borne out by the fact that even though the species is
no longer listed as endangered it remains the nation’s symbol. The
species thus is protected under the federal government’s Bald and
Golden Eagle Protection Act’s umbrella.
And Ohio stands
firmly committed to the care and future of the eagle in the state.
For this year the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s eagle nest survey
estimated that Ohio had 221 American bald eagle nests statewide and
which were believed to have produced a minimum of 312 eaglets.
At least seven of
those nests were/are located in Lake County, too.
“And there could
be more,” said Wildlife Division communications manager John
Windau.
More or less still
demands that people cannot simply skip the law and do as they wish
when it comes to building near an eagle’s nest. Rules and rules and
they are intended to help keep the American bald eagle from returning
to the Endangered Species list.
Even so, Endrizzi
says that in rare circumstances the Service will issue a permit that
would allow a person to cut down a tree or remove a nest. However,
such allowances are typically awarded only if the structure or nest
is threatening to harm something like an existing home or people,
Endrizzi said.
“We try and work
closely with any property owner,” Endrizzi said.
And Kirtland Hills
officials not only are going to take a close look at the Equestrian
Dream proposal they also want to keep an eye out for the eagle nest.
After all, the birds that occupy it are village residents as well,
says the community's village council president Glenn Schwaller.
“Certainly this is
something that we should take note of, and it’s really nice to see
how the eagle has made a comeback,” Schwaller said.
As for the Osborne
clan, the developer’s son – Richard Osborne Jr. - said he has
brought the matter of the eagle nest to the attention of his father
and likewise believes that the eagle nest will get attention should
the proposal move forward.
“I have brought
your concerns to my father whom is working on this project,”
Richard Osborne Jr. said in an email exchange on the subject.
“I am concerned as
well and will make sure any appropriate provision will take place
related to the nest's protection. It is truly amazing to have
American bald eagles soaring above our area and I will make sure your
concerns are addressed.”
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
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