State regulators are calling out the Orange County Water District for illegally bulldozing a migratory bird nest in the Santa Ana riverbed near Angel Stadium, in the wake of social media alerts from Creek Team activists that triggered widespread concern.
“A nest of a black-necked stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) had been impacted in an area where bulldozer tracks and push-piles were present,” concludes a July 7 Notice of Violation to the water district from California’s Fish & Wildlife Department.
“Nesting survey data collected from OCWD further corroborated the nest destruction,” reads the Notice of Violation sent by Erinn Wilson-Olgin, a Fish and Wildlife regional manager for the South Coast region.
Water district officials are contesting the findings of the violation notice, preparing for an upcoming meeting with state regulators by sending them a letter questioning state officials’ interpretation of the district’s nesting studies…