In addition to the various worksites and construction offices at the Chimney Hollow Reservoir site, one neighboring home has received extra special attention. 

High on the cliffs south and east of the main dam site, a pair of golden eagles has created a nest to raise a family. The nest, which is the ornithological term for an eagle’s nest, is at least 6 feet wide and is composed of hundreds of sticks and other building materials found in the area. 

It was not a surprise that eagles call this area home – there are several nests in the cliffs above Flatiron Reservoir and the surrounding area. In fact, the presence of the federally protected eagles was predicted in the permitting applications for construction at the dam site. To reduce impacts to the feathered family, project infrastructure was configured to maintain a required buffer around the site during nesting season. The nest has been monitored from afar to learn more about the eagles and their health. Biologists reported that an eagle chick was being raised at the site and has recently outgrown the nest and started a life on its own. 

Monitoring migratory bird species is just one of the components of the environmental plan at the Chimney Hollow site, and the eagles at the site will be our neighbors for years to come.