Bald Eagle Nest Management Plan
When a bald eagle's nest was found on Cleco property, the company created an extensive land management plan that may set the standard in Louisiana for future timberland practices near bald eagles.
Cleco worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Templin Forestry Inc., and Martco Partnership to come up with a plan that creates primary and secondary buffer zones around the nest tree to protect it and other nearby trees from clearcutting.
The nest was spotted in a pine tree in April 2004 near Rodemacher Lake by a visitor to the man-made lake in Lena, La. The trees had been sold for timber harvesting.
The plan calls for no timber harvesting within the primary buffer zone around the tree and only selective harvesting within the secondary zone. The protocol for selective harvesting in the secondary zone ensures there are adequate perch trees for the eagles. Harvesting, site preparation and tree planting will be allowed in the tertiary zone and no timber operations will take place during the bald eagle breeding season from Oct. 1- May 15.
Most documented bald eagle nests are located mainly in cypress trees within coastal areas of Louisiana, especially in marshes between the Mississippi River and Vermillion Bay. The focus in Louisiana for eagle recovery is anticipated to expand into the Atchafalaya Basin and other coastal areas. (Click here for background on the bald eagles' recovery in Louisiana).
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