Date: Fri 25-Dec-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

eagle-observation-NU

Full Text:

NU Agrees To Preserve Environmentally Sensitive Properties

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Northeast Utilities (NU), which will be auctioning off its hydroelectric

generating plants along the Housatonic River, has reached an agreement with

the state to preserve environmentally important properties it owns near the

hydro plants, including the bald eagle observation area on the east bank of

the Housatonic near Shepaug Dam in Southbury.

Robert Gates, production manager of NU's Connecticut hydroelectric facilities,

said NU will make clear to the utility company which buys Shepaug Dam the

importance of the eagle observation area.

When it seeks power plant relicensing for the Shepaug hydroelectric station

from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) next summer, NU will

include a provision in its application requiring that an eagle observation

area be located there, Mr Gates said.

It is highly unlikely that the new owner of the hydroelectric plant would seek

to eliminate the eagle observation provision from its FERC power-generating

license, Mr Gates said.

Until now, FERC has not required NU to provide eagle observation facilities

near Shepaug Dam as part of NU's license to operate the hydroelectric plant.

NU has informally allowed the use of its property for eagle observation.

NU is planning to sell its Housatonic-based hydroelectric facilities under the

terms of Public Act 98-28 which was approved by the state legislature earlier

this year. That law calls for the deregulation of the electrical generating

industry in Connecticut to create economic competition among electric

companies and decreased electric rates for consumers.

Agreement

The state and NU recently reached an agreement for the preservation of open

space land near hydroelectric facilities, including the eagle observation area

near Shepaug Dam. The agreement covers other open space land upriver of

Shepaug Dam.

In a draft decision December 18, the state Department of Public Utility

Control (DPUC) endorsed the agreement between NU and the state Department of

Environmental Protection (DEP).

"Preserving open space and providing affordable power are twin goals,"

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a prepared statement.

"This agreement shows that savings to consumers from utility deregulation need

not and should not come at the expense of the environment. Environmental

protection must be a key component of deregulation, and we must ensure that

valuable open space and other precious natural resources are not lost," he

said.

During past DPUC hearings, state environmental officials argued that

auctioning off the NU land would be a "quick sale," but would do little to

protect and preserve important natural resources and habitats.

Eagle View

The bald eagle is listed as a state-endangered and federally-threatened

species. The overwintering birds arrive at Shepaug Dam in December and leave

in March. The perching, feeding, and daytime resting areas of the eagles are

typically trees close to the river near Shepaug Dam.

The eagles linger in the area just downriver of the dam, waiting to eat fish

that have passed through the dam to pop up to the water's surface.

The bald eagle observation post is open for free visits by the public, but

reservations are required.

Reservations may be made by calling NU toll-free at 1-800/368-8954 Tuesdays

through Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm.

The observation post is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 9 am

to 1 pm. The post will be open starting December 30. Its last day of operation

is March 17. It is located near Shepaug Dam, at the northern end of River Road

in Southbury.

People who visit the observation post in groups of nine or more are limited in

their viewing time. Groups of eight or less are not restricted and may stay

for a full four-hour viewing period.

NU restricts the number of visitors to the observation post to 300 per viewing

session.

Visitors are advised to bring high-powered field glasses or small telescopes

to view the eagles which feed in the Housatonic River a considerable distance

from the observation post. Observers are kept at least 1,000 feet from the

eagles.

Volunteers from The Nature Conservancy and professional biologists are on hand

to answer visitors' questions. The conservancy is an international group

working to preserve natural habitats for all species, including endangered and

protected species.

Julie Victoria, a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) wildlife

biologist who oversees the eagle observation post, said eagles will fly south

from Maine and Canada to the vicinity of Shepaug Dam when it becomes cold up

north and bodies of water freeze over there, making it difficult for the

eagles to fish. The water just below Shepaug Dam doesn't freeze over. Fish is

about 75 percent of an eagle's diet.

February is the time when the largest number of eagles are viewable at the

observation post. In the past, 28 eagles were seen at one time at the dam.