Cabarrus County, North Carolina (Queen City News) — More than four months after Cabarrus County school superintendents voted to demolish Beverly Hills Elementary School to make way for future renovations, they may be forced to put their plans on hold.
Through multiple emails from parents and PETA, School Committee leaders became aware that hundreds of house petrels nest in chimneys on campus during the warmer months.
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“This is their home and has been for over 10 years,” one parent told Queen City News.
Chimney swifts are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, making it illegal to kill chimneys, their eggs or nests.
Due to a lack of nesting sites, their population has halved in the past 50 years.
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The hollow trees in which they usually live are declining due to construction projects, and chimneys are less common than before or are being closed off.
The nest was discovered by Cabarrus County parents who have long fought to prevent the school's closure and eventual demolition.
Not only have they sent multiple emails to school district leaders, but they also recently received help from PETA.
PETA is calling for the demolition to be postponed until at least September, when the birds will migrate south.
Birds choose chimneys like those in Beverly Hills as nesting sites during the warmer months.
They also incubate the eggs and raise the babies strong enough to fly south for the winter.
At Monday night's school board meeting, Superintendent John Kopicki announced, “The Cabarrus County Schools District is aware of the online petition and PETA statement regarding the possibility of house swifts nesting in limited areas on the property former Beverly Hills Elementary School. The district thanks the community for bringing this potential issue to its attention as we continue site preparation work for a new preschool building for children from the Mary Frances Wall Center, which serves children ages 3-5.”
“CCS staff has engaged a wildlife consultant to determine whether, in fact, there are nesting house swallows (Chaetura pelagica) at the site and, if so, where. If nesting sites are present, CCS staff will work with the appropriate local, state and/or federal agencies to determine a reasonable and responsible approach and to time demolition and construction activities to limit impacts to the ecosystem.”
No timeline has been announced for when that will happen.