ESSEXVILLE, Mich., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy, Utility
Workers Union of America Local 144, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
erected a bald eagle nesting platform today at the utility's Karn/Weadock
Generating Complex in a joint effort to protect and enhance bald eagle
habitat in the Saginaw Bay Watershed.
Dave Best, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
in East Lansing, climbed a utility pole placed at the north end of the
2,400-acre Karn/Weadock site. The pole has a bald eagle nesting platform
built by Best attached to the top. He placed several 3-4 foot sticks on the
platform to start the nest itself and make the platform attractive to
eagles.
Local Audubon Society volunteers have spotted bald eagles wintering on
the Karn/Weadock site in recent years. It is hoped that the platform will
encourage them to nest at the site by next spring.
The Karn/Weadock Generating Complex is located on the eastern side of
the mouth of the Saginaw River. The nesting platform site is known locally
as Windy Point.
Bald eagles have made an amazing recovery throughout the United States,
including in the 22-county Saginaw Bay Watershed. At least 26 active bald
eagle nests are known to exist in the watershed, an 8,700-square mile area
that extends from Iosco and Ogemaw counties in the north, west to Mecosta
County, south to Livingston and Oakland counties and east to Sanilac
County. On June 28, 2007 the bald eagle was removed from the federal list
of threatened and endangered species in the United States.
"The bald eagle has made a remarkable recovery. I am proud that we are
enhancing its habitat within the Saginaw Bay Watershed. This new platform
will provide a hospitable location for bald eagles to nest near the river
mouth, close to an abundant source of the fish that they feed upon," said
state Rep. Jeff Mayes, D-Bay City.
The Karn/Weadock Generating Complex is Consumers Energy's largest power
production complex and consists of three separate plants: the 310-megawatt
coal-fueled Weadock plant; the 511-megawatt coal-fueled Karn 1&2 plant; and
the 1276-megawatt natural gas- and oil-fueled Karn 3&4 plant. Together,
Karn/Weadock and associated combustion turbines can generate up to 2,097
megawatts, enough to meet the electric needs of Bay City, Saginaw, Midland
and Flint combined.
Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS),
provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10
million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at
http://www.consumersenergy.com
SOURCE Consumers Energy
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Related links:
http://www.consumersenergy.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html /
CONTACT:
Kelly Farr, Karn/Weadock Generating Complex,
+1-989-891-3451; or Dave Best of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
+1-517-351-6263; or Joe Soehnel of Audubon Society,
+1-989-895-2169
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