\nNevada Appeal,\u00a0NV\u00a0– Jul 23, 2006<\/p>\n
Tom Meyer
\nBonanza staff writer
\nJuly 23, 2006<\/p>\n
Print Email<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“They just started hanging out in here when it got cold last month,” said Tom Krueger, a blackjack dealer at the casino.<\/p>\n
Shortly after discovering the area, the swallows, nicknamed “Empha” and “Zima”, started building a nest.<\/p>\n
But as the waste piled up someone removed the nest.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But their presence does have much benefit as well officials said.<\/p>\n
“[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.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Biltmore blackjack dealer Debbie Hutchins said that she “noticed fewer insects” in the area since the swallows joined the water cooler chat.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Staff writer Tom Meyer can be reached at 831-4666 ext. 112 or at tmeyer@tahoebonanza.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nevada Appeal,\u00a0NV\u00a0– Jul 23, 2006 Tom Meyer Bonanza staff writer July 23, 2006 Print Email 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. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[413],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n