A victory for Cliff Swallows

By Ilana DeBare

Cliff Swallows in the North Bay will have a safer nesting season in 2014 – thanks to successful advocacy by Bay Area Audubon chapters and other wildlife lovers.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance and other conservation groups have reached a tentative settlement with Caltrans, in which the state transportation agency will no longer use deadly netting on a Petaluma highway construction project.

Last spring, Caltrans had installed netting on a bridge over the Petaluma River to prevent swallows from nesting there while it expanded Highway 101.

But the netting – meant to keep birds out of the way of construction – in fact was trapping and killing them. Local wildlife advocates documented over 100 dead birds in the nets.

When Caltrans refused to remove the nets, GGBA joined a lawsuit filed by Madrone and Marin Audubon societies, Native Songbird Care and Conservation, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and the Center for Biological Diversity.

Along with the legal action, advocates for the swallows gathered over 30,000 signatures on an online petition.

Now, as part of the proposed settlement, Caltrans has agreed to remove the nets and instead use hard plastic or plywood sheeting to keep birds away from sections of the bridge under construction.  All other parts of the bridge will be available for nesting. Bridge demolition will only take place outside of nesting season.

Caltrans will also meet four times each year with the swallow coalition to review its protective measures, and will provide $4,000 for public education about swallow protection.

The settlement ensures that the Cliff Swallows will find a safer welcome in March when they complete their annual 6,000-mile migration from Argentina. The swallows typically build about 500 nests under the Petaluma River and Lakeville Overpasses bridges.

The parties to the settlement, including the GGBA board, are scheduled to approve the agreement in the next few weeks.

This is a victory for Cliff Swallows. But it wouldn’t have happened without on-the-ground activism by North Bay groups like Madrone Audubon and Native Songbird Care…  coordinated advocacy by all the wildlife conservation groups in the lawsuit… and the thousands of emails, letters and petition signatures from grassroots bird lovers like YOU!

Thank you for standing up for the swallows with us.

These five-inch birds manage to travel 6,000 miles to build their nests. With your help, we have ensured that their epic journey is not in vain.