A tree holding a bald eagles’ nest that was at the center of a controversial residential development in Auburn was cut down over the weekend, city officials and news outlets reported on Saturday.
City officials posted on Facebook that they were “gravely disappointed to learn that the tree containing the bald eagles’ nest at the Heritage Ridge development has now been cut down by the developer and landowner, Edgar Hughston Builder, Inc.”
“The developer had agreed to a meeting with Mayor Pro Tem Witten and Mayor Ron Anders scheduled for Monday, November 18 to discuss potential options for protecting and preserving the eagles’ nesting area. Unfortunately, it appears the decision to cut down the nest tree has eliminated those options,” the city statement read.
Efforts to reach Hughston Homes were not immediately successful on Sunday.
Auburn City Manager Megan McGowen Crouch has instructed the city attorney’s office to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to “strongly encourage” an investigation to determine whether the terms and conditions of the permit were followed by Hughston, the city statement read.
WRBL shared video footage posted by Auburn resident John Braswell shows the tree and the destroyed home of bald eagles, Jim and Pam, off North College Avenue near the E.W. Shell Fisheries Center. Jim and Pam are named after characters from the sitcom “The Office.”
More than 7,500 Auburn residents and wildlife advocates signed an online petition calling for an end to plans to demolish the bald eagles’ nest. Kade Evan Turner, who started the petition on Change.org, asked Hughston Homes “to recognize the severity of their proposed actions and reconsider their development plans.”
“We understand that development plans for a 46-home subdivision have been approved for this location, but we believe that a compromise is possible— one that accommodates the development needs of our growing community while preserving Jim and Pam’s home,” Turner wrote.
Auburn city council member Beth Witten, in a Facebook post on Saturday, said she had been assured that Hughston Homes would take no action until a meeting scheduled for Monday.
Witten wrote that she was “devastated” that she was “intentionally deceived” into “thinking the city would have an opportunity to discuss options to save the nest.”
The removal of the tree, which happened late Friday night or early Saturday morning, showed “disregard for a community they want to do business” with, Witten wrote of the developer.
On Friday, Hughston Homes said it received a permit from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the nest.
“Please know that this decision was made with respect for the environment and the welfare of these magnificent birds,” said the company. It later revealed a recent donation to the Alabama Conservation and Natural Resources Foundation “to support ongoing conservation efforts.”
The developer plans to build 46 homes surrounding the nesting site. Residents say the ruined tree held the eagles’ nest since 2017.
The eagles had been a beloved part of the community for more than seven years.
“To the residents of Ward 3 and really the whole Auburn family, please know this has been gut-wrenching. And I support fully the request of the City Manager to have city attorneys request a full investigation by Fish and Wildlife,” Witten wrote.
The homebuilder has said it was unaware of Jim and Pam’s nest when it bought the property.
“While preserving the tree was our first thought and foremost priority, regulations require maintaining an undisturbed radius of 330 feet around the nest. Unfortunately, this area extended into critical sections of the property, impacting nearby wetlands,” Hughston Homes said.
“The time of year tells us that there are no eggs, hatchlings or young chicks incapable of taking on life outside of the nest present in the nest,” Hughston Homes’ statement continued. “We took this step with the knowledge that these resilient birds are capable of establishing a new nest close to their former habitat.”