La Porte – Wyandotte Campground is scheduled to open for the season June 13, but the Plumas National Forest has a closure order going into effect over part of the popular Little Grass Valley Reservoir Recreation Area site to protect a pair of nesting bald eagles.
The Forest closure order is in place until July 15, when eaglets are generally fully fledged. It covers campsites one through 17 on the peninsula. Pancake Beach and the remainder of the campground will still be open.
“The recreation facilities at Wyandotte are still closed until next Friday, so the only people who should be in there right now are Plumas National Forest employees working on getting the campground ready to open, fuel reduction or monitoring the nesting bald eagles,” said Feather River District Ranger Loren Everest. “We are finding members of the public going around the gate, making it necessary to get the closure for the nesting bald eagles in place now.”
Forest closure orders for the nest area are necessary when eaglets aren’t fledged before Wyandotte Campground opens for the season, allowing area residents and visitors to enjoy the area without affecting the bald eagles.
“The eagles did not nest last year, so we were happy to find the eagles nesting this year with two eaglets this spring,” said Feather River Ranger District Biologist Jacqueline Phipps. “A closure order is normally in place to help minimize disturbances when the eagles are nesting.”
Biologists from the Feather River Ranger District and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are closely monitoring the nesting pair of adult bald eagles and their two eaglets.
“While people may be curious about them, it is critical for the next 40 days to give these eagles the space and peace they need to successfully fledge both eaglets,” Phipps said.
In addition to the Forest closure order, the bald eagles are also protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act enacted in 1940.
The Act prohibits anyone without a permit from the Secretary of Interior from interfering with, disturbing, harming or killing bald and golden eagles. This includes activities that disrupts normal breeding, feeding, sheltering habits and causes injury, death or nest abandonment.
A violation of the Act can result in a fine of $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for an organization, imprisonment for one year, or both, for a first offense. Penalties increase substantially for additional offenses, and a second violation of the Act is a felony.
“We want to thank everyone for their understanding, patience and compliance helping us protect the Little Grass Valley bald eagles,” Everest said. “Feather River Ranger District employees are hopeful for both eaglets to fledge and we look forward to sharing more information at the campground once it is open for the summer season.”
The Forest order is formally referenced as Closure Order Number 05-11-03-25-01. Violations of the prohibitions are punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
For more information on the Plumas National Forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/plumas, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/USFSPlumas.
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