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<br /> <br />Minnesota Department of Natural Resources <br /> <br />500 Lafayette Road <br /> <br />St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-40_ <br /> <br />Mayor Ted Swedberg and City Council <br />Centerville Administrative Offices <br />1880 Main Street <br />Centerville, MN. 55038 <br /> <br />February 24,2003 <br /> <br />Dear Mayor Swedberg and City Council Members, <br /> <br />This letter is to update you on the outcome of the Peltier heron rookery during the 2002 nesting <br />season. <br /> <br />Due to all the good efforts that were exerted by the staff and Council members from <br />both Lino Lakes and Centerville, the no-wake surface zone use regulations were adopted by both <br />cites in record breaking time. Many DNR staff with experience in adopting such ordinances <br />expressed their amazement at the promptness with which these ordinances were accomplished <br />by both Cities. As the resource managers involved in this effort, we want to thank each of you <br />for responding to the need for such management actions. The buoys delineating the no-wake <br />zone on Peltier Lake were set in place by Anoka County Parks staff on June 11 th, 2002. <br /> <br />The birds at issue, however, did not wait for our protective actions. True to their own "biological <br />clocks", the first great blue herons to return to the lake were noted along Rice Creek below the <br />Peltier Lake dam by March 19th. By mid April, both the great blue herons and the great egrets <br />were observed at nests on the island. The herons were also observed picking up sticks and other <br />material for nest building. For more detailed information on the birds' behavior, please see the <br />attached report prepared by Art Hawkins. It should be noted that the weather in April was <br />remarkably variable with 86 degree high temperatures on April 18th between two snow storms <br />April 3rd and April 21st. <br /> <br />Bi-weekly aerial monitoring at all metro region heron rookeries by the DNR also indicated a <br />good start to the nesting season, with both great blue herons and great egrets observed in the <br />Peltier rookery during April. However, during the aerial survey on May 3rd, our observer noted <br />that the number of great egrets had dropped from the 50 egrets seen on April 23rd to only 4 great <br />egrets observed standing in the trees. <br /> <br />DNR Information: 651-296-6157 .. 1-888-646-6367 .. TIT: 651-296-5484 .. 1-800-657-3929 <br /> <br />An Equal Opportunity Employer <br />Who Values Diversity <br /> <br />{\ Printed on Recycled Paper Containing a <br />.., Minimum of 10% Post-Consumer Waste <br />