UBC Properties Trust applies to extend coning permit to protect Wesbrook eagles’ nest
Implementation of the Wesbrook Place Neighbourhood Plan includes construction of residences near a bald eagle nest on Ross Drive, initially abandoned but later inhabited by a young eagle pair in 2017.
To manage construction impacts to the eagles’ nest, UBCPT hired Diamond Head Consulting to create a Protected Species Management Plan. As part of this plan, biologists from Diamond Head, project developers and contractors, provincial biologists, and a local non-profit organization (Hancock Wildlife Foundation) were engaged to determine how to best protect the nest and support nesting activity throughout current and future construction activities.
In 2020, planned construction on Lot 6 prompted the team of wildlife experts to recommend temporarily placing a metal cone on the nest to protect it and redirect nesting activity. An alternate nest was built in a nearby tree by the Hancock Wildlife Foundation. The wildlife experts state this method is to give the eagles the best chance at breeding success.
On behalf of UBCPT, Diamond Head applied to the Ministry of Forests in summer 2022 for a permit to cone the original nest, which was approved for a 2-year period. The cone was placed on the nest in September 2022 ahead of the breeding season. The aim of the intervention is to protect the nest so it remains viable during the period of construction and can be reinhabited, and encourage the eagle pair to use other existing nearby nest sites, including the one constructed by Hancock, away from construction activity.
Construction work on “Wordsworth” (Lot 6), a residential development comprising 231 new homes, is expected to continue until fall of 2025, prompting an application to extend the nest coning permit for an additional year. Upon approval of the permit, the cone will stay in place until September 2025.
