PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: January 18, 2008
Laura Dentel, 603-968-7194 x34 or laura.dentel@nhnature.org

NH Electric Co-op and Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Team Up for Ospreys

Holderness (January 23, 2008) -- When a pair of Ospreys was spotted on Squam Lake last spring, it was cause for celebration...and concern.

The birds were the first of their kind known to take up residence at the lake, but the location of their embryonic nest - atop the cross arms of a New Hampshire Electric Co-op (NHEC) utility pole near the shore of the lake in Holderness - put them dangerously close to live wires. The pair was first spotted by Iain MacLeod Executive Director of the Squam Lakes Natural Science (and long-time Osprey researcher). A quick meeting between MacLeod, NHEC staff, land owners and a biologist from New Hampshire Audubon Society determined that the chosen sight was too dangerous - for the birds and nearby home owners.

A NHEC line crew carefully dismantled the pole top nest, removed the crossbars, and set in motion a plan to provide the pair with safer accommodations once the birds flew south for the winter.

On January 15, with labor and equipment donated by NHEC, MacLeod supervised the setting of a 60-foot pole topped by an artificial nest platform that he built years ago for another "Osprey-luring" project.

Erecting the pole required a small fleet of vehicles and some off-road ingenuity. Dragging the pole several hundred yards behind a tracked excavator over narrow woodland trails, a utility crew maneuvered the pole into place while NHEC Operations Supervisor Brent Fysh hauled the nest behind a snowmobile in an aluminum boat. After the nest was bolted to it, the pole was set in an 8-foot deep hole and carefully raised into position.

Located in the center of an open field close to the shore on Science Center land, the new nest is in an ideal location for the pair to settle down for the summer and, hopefully, raise a family.

"Young pairs love to find a ready-built nest and once established may return to the nest for a dozen years or more," MacLeod explained. "So if all goes well, they'll spot this new penthouse pad and move right in."

Built of interwoven sticks and padded with straw, the nest appears inviting enough. Bird watchers and Science Center naturalists will have their fingers crossed this spring that the Ospreys think so, too.

To see spectacular photos of the nest construction and a photo of the Squam Osprey pair's ill-advised first nesting efforts, go to www.nhnature.org and click on the Photo Journal section of the home page.

About Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

The mission of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is to advance understanding of ecology by exploring New Hampshire's natural world. Through spectacular live animal exhibits, natural science education programs, and lake cruises, the Science Center has educated and enlightened visitors for forty years about the importance of our natural world. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is located on Route 113 in Holderness, exit 24 off I-93, and is open daily for general admission from May 1 through November 1. For further information about the Center, call 603-968-7194 or visit www.nhnature.org <http://www.nhnature.org/> .

FOR MEDIA: Hi-res images available upon request.

See links below for samples

http://pandiainpics.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/Pole_4.JPG

http://pandiainpics.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/Pole_5.JPG

http://pandiainpics.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/Pole_6.JPG

http://pandiainpics.wikispaces.com/space/showimage/Pole_7.JPG