KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffWildlife Officials Close Road for Endangered Bird

Wildlife Officials Close Road for Endangered Bird

Wildlife Officials Close Road for Endangered Bird
By: Crystal Britt

JACOB, Ill. - A small bird is causing big problems for the people in Jacob.

The bird is an Interior Least Tern.  It's between eight and ten inches long, not very big, but for the folks near Jacob it continues to be a big hassle.

Four weeks ago U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists closed down a main road in rural Jackson County.  Locals weren't too happy.

The good news, just Friday afternoon, they re-opened that road, but now another one is shut down.  It's all to protect an endangered bird.

"The birds are now taking over the roads.  It's getting tougher to live down here basically," said Wayne Twenhafel, a local road commissioner.

Realizing they can't do much about it locals try their best to make light of the situation.

Check out the lastest menu at the Old Tin Barn Restaurant in Jacob.  You can get an "interior least tern burger" for $3.75, add a side of "extinction fries" for $1.80.

It's no laughing matter though for U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologists who've spent weeks doing everything they can to protect this bird.

It all started with the closure of Swan Pond Road which until about a month ago was covered with flood water.

"The sand bar habitat on the river that they would be looking for to nest on was under water," said Joyce Collins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist.

So, they nested here, prompting the government shut down.

"I'm not against protecting the endangered species, but I think you gotta use reason," said Herbert Korando of Jacob.

Over the fourth of July weekend, most of the nests mysteriously disappeared.

"Can't really comment on that, we ended up with only one nest with two eggs in it," Collins said.

But, just a short distance away on Odd Fellow Road, biologists are closely watching about 46 additional nests and about 80 birds.

Water still covers most of the road, but it's receding.

So, it's a familiar sight, more road blocks. 

Also something new for biologists, they're experimenting with the final two eggs on Swan Pond Road.

They've taken them to nesting grounds on the other road, hoping the birds here will accept them.

"That's not been done that we know of with Least Terns, and not for sure at all what the success rate will be," Collins said. "By observing them and protecting them and bringing them back to recovery it shows the we're bringing that ecosystem back.  It's not just habitat, the whole big picture.".

It's a story folks around here will likely never forget.

"Oh yeah we'll remember it for a long time," Twenhafel said.

Many locals say they're thrilled the one road has re-opened and while they're not happy about the other road closure, they say that isn't a main thouroughfare, so there's not as much concern.

Biologists plan to keep that road shut down until September.

Is is not the first time an endangered bird caused problems for people in southern Illinois.

Six years ago the city of Marion had to postpone plans to build a resevoir because of another rare bird.  In July 2002 someone spotted a pair of Northern Harrier raptor, a type of bird of prey.  The discovery forced Marion city leaders to put their plans on hold because the bird is endangered in Illinois.