Nevada Appeal, NV – Jul 23, 2014
Tom Meyer
Bonanza staff writer
July 23, 2014
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For the staff at the Biltmore Tahoe Lodge and Casino, the outdoor break area is a place to take a deep breath, enjoy a smoke, make a phone call, or grab a quick meal before heading back to the floor. For a pair of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) and their four hungry chicks, however, the Biltmore’s break room serves as a studio suite.
“They just started hanging out in here when it got cold last month,” said Tom Krueger, a blackjack dealer at the casino.
Shortly after discovering the area, the swallows, nicknamed “Empha” and “Zima”, started building a nest.
But as the waste piled up someone removed the nest.
Shortly after the pair of birds began rebuilding (as swallows are apt to do), casino officials learned about the swallows’ federally protected status and decided to leave the birds alone.
Now, a converted cardboard box serves as a waste catch, and a sign informs staff that it is illegal to destroy the nest or disturb the family.
Swallows are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it a crime to “pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, purchase (or) ship …any migratory bird, included in the terms of this convention”.
According to materials provided by Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, free permits to remove swallow nests can be obtained from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These permits are difficult to come by officials said, and removal of a swallow nest without a permit is a misdemeanor and can result in both fines and jail time.
This isn’t a swallow family’s first time in regional news -recently, a family of swallows delayed a roof replacement at the Lake Tahoe Airport.
But their presence does have much benefit as well officials said.
“[Nesting] parents will bring each of their young up to 1,000 mosquitos a day,” said Cheryl Millham, executive director of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
Indeed, Biltmore blackjack dealer Debbie Hutchins said that she “noticed fewer insects” in the area since the swallows joined the water cooler chat.
To receive more information about swallows and the laws protecting them, contact Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care at (530) 577-2273, or visit its Web site at www.ltwc.org. To learn about applying for a nest-removal permit, visit www.fws.gov/pacific/mbsp.
Staff writer Tom Meyer can be reached at 831-4666 ext. 112 or at tmeyer@tahoebonanza.com.
