Duquesne Light Company Protects Local Nesting Osprey
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In order to keep a reliable and safe electric grid, Duquesne Light Company (DLC) has a responsibility to manage the impact of the natural environment on our infrastructure in a way that upholds the integrity of local ecosystems. When DLC crews learned of a local osprey building a nest on transformer equipment at Townsend Dam in New Brighton, they did just that. Our teams worked quickly to not only resolve the issue but make sure they thought of a solution that kept the birds, the public and the equipment safe.
Because the area is a popular bird watching and fishing spot, it was even more critical to safely relocate the nest.
In the beginning of August, DLC partnered with Erie Bird Observatory, a local nonprofit dedicated to avian research and conservation, to erect the second DLC osprey nesting platform in the Pittsburgh region with the help of DLC crews from our Raccoon Service Center. To demonstrate our support of their commitment, DLC donated a $2,500 grant to Erie Bird Observatory for their help with this project.
Andy Berchin, environmental health and safety specialist at DLC, called the project “a true demonstration of bringing our values of community, safety, integrity, dependability and equity to life in the work we do. The grid intersects with the local environment in many ways, and we want to make sure we are protecting the surrounding land and wildlife while also providing safe and reliable electricity to our customers.”
“Erie Bird Observatory is happy to provide expertise on birds to help resolve potential conflicts in a way that helps all parties, especially the birds,” said Sarah Sargent, executive director at Erie Bird Observatory. “Ospreys are very attached to their nesting sites, and DLC has given them a tall, safe platform right on the site they chose. Thank you, DLC!”
We are grateful to share the osprey has successfully transferred to the new nesting platform.
A special thank you to the DLC team who helped with this project and to Erie Bird Observatory for their partnership!
To check out a similar story of DLC’s work in action to help the local osprey population in 2019, click here!