The Canadian Wildlife Service is investigating the destruction of great blue heron nests on Irving-owned land near Cambridge Narrows.
The forestry company J.D. Irving built a logging road on the land last summer. It runs through the middle of the nesting colony. Company spokeswoman Mary Keith says the company has no comment on the situation while the investigation is underway.
Naturalist Jim Brown is among several conservationists who are outraged by the destruction. He points to a damaged nest among the tangle of cut logs and brush on the side of the logging road. He says companies are usually very careful about where they build roads.
"The onus is on the forestry company to inventory that area before they go in it," Brown said. "They should know ahead of time if there's any heron colonies or any other sensitive issues. That obviously wasn't done in this case."
The great blue heron is protected under the Migratory Bird Conventions Act. It's against the law to hunt them or destroy their nests.
Ian Langlais of the Canadian Wildlife Service is leading the investigation. He doesn't know yet if charges will be laid, but says the act carries severe penalties including a fine of up to $1 million or three years in prison.
"There's prohibitions against the destruction of the nests, or the killing of the birds and there are also obligations on the part of corporations to ensure compliance with the act and the regulations," Langlais said.
3 comments:
What Storm, Where, What Time ?
This should get posted somewhere!
The Canadian Wildlife Service is investigating the destruction of great blue heron nests on Irving-owned land near Cambridge Narrows.
The forestry company J.D. Irving built a logging road on the land last summer. It runs through the middle of the nesting colony. Company spokeswoman Mary Keith says the company has no comment on the situation while the investigation is underway.
Naturalist Jim Brown is among several conservationists who are outraged by the destruction. He points to a damaged nest among the tangle of cut logs and brush on the side of the logging road. He says companies are usually very careful about where they build roads.
"The onus is on the forestry company to inventory that area before they go in it," Brown said. "They should know ahead of time if there's any heron colonies or any other sensitive issues. That obviously wasn't done in this case."
The great blue heron is protected under the Migratory Bird Conventions Act. It's against the law to hunt them or destroy their nests.
Ian Langlais of the Canadian Wildlife Service is leading the investigation. He doesn't know yet if charges will be laid, but says the act carries severe penalties including a fine of up to $1 million or three years in prison.
"There's prohibitions against the destruction of the nests, or the killing of the birds and there are also obligations on the part of corporations to ensure compliance with the act and the regulations," Langlais said.
you or I would be taken to the woods and hung, but the Irvings will get a grant to study the results of this site.
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