LAPEER COUNTY, MI -- A private Fourth of July fireworks show on Lake Nepessing in Elba Township will be delayed until July 31 after Lapeer County residents and wildlife enthusiasts raised concerns that the show would disturb bald eagles whose nest is just a quarter-mile from the launch site.
Amber Morrison, a Lapeer County wildlife rehabber, recently documented two adult bald eagles and two eaglets in its nest, located on the southwest corner of Lake Nepessing.
The nest is located just 400 meters from the proposed launch site of a commercial fireworks show that’s entertained Lake Nepessing residents for decades.
Elba Township approved fireworks organizer Larry Allen’s permit to put on a July 4 show before it knew about the nest, Township Supervisor Mike Boskee said. Suggestions came from residents to move, delay or cancel the show.
Susan Hough, a wildlife advocate who owns a summer home on the lake, spoke up on a Facebook neighborhood group and requested to move the fireworks show to a different spot on the lake to follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife recommendations for a buffer zone of at least one-half mile.
“It’s the Fourth of July. What is more patriotic than fireworks? I’d say a bald eagle,” Hough said.
After that original post, many area residents and even a Detroit wildlife rights group began campaigning for the fireworks show to be delayed until after fledgling season, July 31, or moved to a different side of the lake.
By July 31, the fledgling bald eagles are expected to have left the nest full time.
Boskee thought it was unlikely that the show is affected since agreements were already made with the township, insurance companies and fireworks providers, Boskee said.
Allen, who is hosting the fireworks show, refused to provide a comment MLive-The Flint Journal on the issue. He did not immediately respond to a follow-up request for comment on the date change.
The township could revoke the permit for fireworks shows, but it would require a last-minute special meeting to be considered by the Board of Trustees, which is also unlikely, Boskee said.
Boskee was confident that the show will not affect the bald eagles. He said he often sees them on his property and has enjoyed their presence for years.
“The proof is in the pudding with Mother Nature,” Boskee said. “It seems that the eagles are comfortable with the fireworks in previous years. I hope they can stay and enjoy successful hatches.”
Boskee said the plan was to monitor the nest during and directly after the fireworks show to take action if the nest is affected.
Hough, who has followed this issue from the beginning, shared some hopeful news for the bald eagle advocates when the eaglets began flying recently. The danger was more imminent when the eaglets could not leave the nest, Hough said.
They still return to the nest for shelter and food at this stage, as they are not yet independent, Hough said.
Eagles typically return to their nests at night since they cannot see as well in the dark, too, which gives Hough the assumption that the eagles will be there when the fireworks start.
Larry Dean, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the organization has never received feedback that bald eagles have abandoned or prematurely fledged from their nests during or after fireworks displays in the eight states in the Midwest region over 11 years.
“Unless the fireworks are set off within 1/8 of a mile or 660 ft. of the bald eagle nest, we do not have a concern. Though I do recall some fireworks concerns that were closer, but bald eagle take did not result,” Dean wrote. “A fireworks presentation is similar to a thunderstorm without the rain and wind and eagles encounter these frequently.”
The recommendation of at least one-half mile is made out of an abundance of caution, Dean said. These are just recommendations and cannot be enforced, however.
If there is proof that an activity caused a disturbance to the eagles, the entity may be liable if local law enforcement decides to take action, Dean said.
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