Athletes face schedule adjustment due to avian protection laws, with the high school football schedule being affected by federally protected bird species.
Osprey Nest at Apple Valley High School Forces Football Team to Adjust Schedule
In an unusual turn of events, the Apple Valley High School football team in Minnesota has had to rearrange their schedule due to a nest of ospreys that have made their home on a light tower at the school's football stadium.
The school became aware of the nest in June, and since then, the osprey chicks have been growing and taking their first flights. According to Heidi Cyr, of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the chicks are now able to fly away, and the school can remove the nest.
The osprey, a large bird of prey with a wingspan of up to six feet, is a federally and state protected species. The department does not provide details about the reasons for denying nest removal permits when chicks remain. However, they sometimes issue permits when ospreys make nests on critical infrastructure.
The presence of the osprey nest has forced the Apple Valley High School Eagles football team to play all of their home games during the day. Turning on the floodlights could potentially harm the protected birds.
School officials plan to relocate the osprey nest to another platform on school grounds and build deterrents on the stadium lights once the chicks leave. They have been sending a drone up every few days to check on the chicks' progress.
Ospreys are known to like building nests in high places with clear views. It seems that the school's football stadium, with its towering lights, provided an attractive spot for the ospreys to raise their chicks.
Meanwhile, in the Big Bear Valley region of California, bald eagles Jackie and Shadow recently welcomed a third egg to their nest. The successful hatching of the osprey chicks in Minnesota and the new addition to the bald eagle family are positive signs for the conservation of these protected species.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
