NEW CASTLE, Pa., March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its
ongoing efforts to protect nesting birds and prevent power outages,
Penn Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has
partnered with the Erie Bird Observatory for the second year in a
row to install a nesting platform on top of a 55-foot wooden pole
in Greenville, Mercer County. This proactive work will
discourage ospreys from nesting on utility poles when they return
to the area in the coming weeks.
Over the past two years, the FirstEnergy Foundation has donated
a total of $10,000 to the Erie Bird
Observatory to fund the construction of nesting platforms across
western Pennsylvania. In recent
years, Penn Power has worked with the organization to install seven
nesting platforms adjacent to utility poles that have experienced
high levels of osprey activity.
"We've experienced a significant spike in the osprey population
over recent years, and we anticipate this year will be no different
since the birds typically return to the same nesting sites as the
year before," said Amy Ruszala, an
environmental scientist and avian expert at FirstEnergy. "Our goal
is to not only remove unoccupied osprey nests that are situated on
our utility poles, but also take action to prevent the birds from
making new nests on our equipment."
Birds of prey, like ospreys, often seek out tall structures
including electric transmission towers and poles to build their
nests, which can measure up to three feet in width. These nesting
habits often place the birds near energized electrical equipment –
jeopardizing their well-being and potentially causing power
outages.
Because ospreys prefer to nest near bodies of water, the new
5-square-foot wooden nesting platform was installed on top of an
existing utility pole that previously served as a prime nesting
habitat for the birds on Werner Road along the Shenango River.
Last year, the company installed three nesting platforms near the
Route 18 causeway over the Shenango River Lake in Mercer County and in Hartstown, Crawford
County.
"We are proud to partner with Penn Power to have these nest
structures in place before the ospreys return to the area in late
March and take up nesting this spring," said Sarah Sargent, executive director and founder of
the Erie Bird Observatory. "Our partnership is a win-win because it
helps keep the nesting birds safe and also benefits electric
customers."
Protecting birds is nothing new to Penn Power. The company has
made great strides enhancing its avian protection efforts,
including the implementation of drones to complete bird nest
inspections and deployment of a mobile app that allows utility
personnel to report avian issues in real time, streamlining the
process to protect nesting birds and enhance electric service
reliability. These ongoing efforts continue to help reduce power
outages caused by nesting birds.
Utility personnel also worked closely with FirstEnergy's
environmentalists and state wildlife officials to remove nests from
substations and transmission towers while the birds were south for
the winter. Ospreys are a month away from the onset of
their breeding season and will lay their eggs between April
and July.
Penn Power is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy and serves more than
160,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence, and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on
Twitter @Penn_Power, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/PennPower, and online at www.pennpower.com.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies
form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and New
York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate
approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the
Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online
at www.firstenergycorp.com and on
Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of Penn Power utility
personnel installing the nesting platforms are available for
download on Flickr.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/penn-power-partners-with-erie-bird-observatory-for-second-consecutive-year-to-protect-nesting-birds-prevent-power-outages-301239946.html
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.