Partnership benefits endangered terns

Thanks to a collaboration between private companies, a private landowner and the government, Least Terns in southern Indiana gained a new nesting area.

Duke Energy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and an array of other governmental agencies and private partners dedicated the Cane Ridge Wildlife Area on Tuesday. The area, located just outside Gibson Generating Station, has in just two years become home to one of the largest colonies of nesting Interior Least Terns.
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Listed as an endangered species, the interior least tern gave the energy company problems due to the tern's fondness for the power plant's rocky areas for nesting and rearing young. Disruptions in the plant's operations would occur, making the least tern nests something to deal with.

In 1997 a piece of property just outside the plant was up for sale and through a creative partnership, the land was purchased and restored in hopes of attracting this small bird away from the power plant.

The plan worked.

Read it all. This is precisely the kind of collaboration that needs to take place in Southern California to prevent another tern tragedy. Will SoCal birders make it happen? Paging Los Angeles Audubon!

Least Tern courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service