Letters: It is illegal to knock down bird nests while occupied

Dear Editor, A local business in South County decided they did
not want to have birds nesting in the trees or on the building on
their property so they had their employees knock the nests down.
Sadly, the nests were occupied with young birds ranging from just
hatched to pre-fledglings.
It is illegal to knock down bird nests while occupied

Dear Editor,

A local business in South County decided they did not want to have birds nesting in the trees or on the building on their property so they had their employees knock the nests down. Sadly, the nests were occupied with young birds ranging from just hatched to pre-fledglings. We accepted the dozen birds since they were a native species and protected by federal law. The majority of the birds will need to be fed a special diet every 20 minutes, 14 hours a day for the next several weeks. Theses birds alone will be with us for about six weeks before being released.

This is spring – baby season for wildlife. If you find that a native species of bird is nesting in an area which is unsuitable, remove the nest before it is occupied. Once eggs are laid it is illegal to remove nests until the babies have permanently left.

As the weekend approaches many people will be heading outdoors to do yard work that was put off due to recent rains. Before you start:

– Check trees or shrubs to make sure there are no active nests or residents in cavities before trimming or cutting them down.

– Before mowing your lawn or rototilling your garden, walk through the area to make sure there are no ground nesting birds or wildlife in harm’s way. One of our current patients is a large gopher snake that was accidentally whacked by a weed trimmer.

Please check the online SV Pet Blog section of this newspaper later this week where we’ll go into detail on young wildlife situations. Until then, we’re going to be extra busy at the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center caring for our current wildlife patients – barn owls, bobcats, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and house finches, to name a few.

Sue Howell, Executive Director , W.E.R.C., the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center

Thanks to all for a successful police week campaign

Dear Editor,

On behalf of The Community Law Enforcement Foundation, I would like to thank everyone in the community that came out and supported all of our National Police Week activities. Not only did we raise money for much-needed equipment for the Morgan Hill Police Department, but we enjoyed meeting so many of you and had a great time doing it.

Thank you also to all of the local businesses that supported Police Week with donations or by holding events for us – The Ford Store Morgan Hill, Betsy’s Restaurant, A-Jay’s Cheese Steaks, Mr. Falafel, Ricatoni’s, Rosy’s at the Beach, BookSmart, Mama Mia’s, Hot Java, Chili’s Morgan Hill and 9 Lives Club – thank you all.

And lastly, a special thank you to our local heroes for what they do every day to keep our community safe. It is a privilege and an honor to work with you. Thank you Morgan Hill PD!!

Sharron Daniel, Secretary/Treasurer, Community Law Enforcement Foundation of Morgan Hill

Contact legislators and urge they keep Henry Coe State Park open

Dear Editor,

Henry W. Coe State Park is by far Morgan Hill’s biggest claim to fame. Although we have many other things to love about our town, when outsiders hear I live in Morgan Hill, they recognize it for being home to Coe. In fact, it was the largest factor in my moving to Morgan Hill 15 years ago.

It’s boggling that it should be closed, especially considering it will have no effect on the budget. As the Times reported in their recent editorial, although it is the largest State Park in Northern California (three times the size of San Francisco), it is run by two rangers, one maintenance person, and 125 dedicated and experienced volunteers!

This will be a huge loss to Morgan Hill, both to our quality of life and tax base. As a longtime volunteer, I see how many out-of-town visitors to Coe are filling up their gas tank and visiting local restaurants, grocery stores, drug stores, coffeeshops, bike shops and department stores.

Unfortunately, when I called State Senator, Sam Blakeslee his staffer asked, “What’s the name of the park?” and “How do you spell Coe?” Apparently, our legislators need some education. Please contact your State Senator and Assemblyman and let them know how vital this park is. You can find them by entering your zip code at www.legislature.ca.gov/.

Although closing Coe has been threatened before, this will not be stopped without everyone’s voice.

Daniel Benefiel, Morgan Hill