Does The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Need A Great Blue Heron Rookery?

When it comes to nature, I am all in with regards to trying to educate and encourage people to get out and experience the natural world around us.

The reason for this is simple, wildlife needs our support, both financially and, even more so, politically.

And this support only comes when people find the beauty in nature by getting out and experiencing it firsthand.

There is an endless supply of competing demands for land, trees, and water, not to mention the minerals and oils that oftentimes reside just under the earth’s surface.

And as these natural resources become more and more scarce, they also become more and more valuable to all interested parties, so the competing demands for lands that support wildlife as well as carry these other natural resources will many times beat out nature, and, as a result, these areas that are quite suitable and important as wildlife habitat are then either lost forever or damaged beyond repair.

There are so many different entities competing for our attention nowadays, it seems the interest in wildlife and nature is waning, and when the interest in the natural world around slips, so does the support to protect these areas and the wildlife they support.

I am a huge believer in getting people outdoors, especially directly out in nature, to show them how incredible the natural world around us really is.

And to take it one step further, I am also a huge advocate of the need for more education and information about wildlife and nature to help spawn and grow this interest from people.

Hopefully, once the fire has been lit within someone regarding nature, the desire to help support it and protect it will grow as well.

But all of this starts at the ground level, getting people interested in wildlife, first and foremost.

And, honestly, that interest can’t come from just reading a book, watching a YouTube video, or even scrolling through a blog like this one.

Although all of those are indeed good places to start gathering information on where to find areas to explore nature, the only way to really feel what nature has to offer is to get out in it and experience the flora and fauna first hand.

A great example of this is the tundra swan migration on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge each year in March, a slice in time where thousands upon thousands of migrating tundra swans fill the wetlands of the refuge for a few weeks or more.

People come from all over to see the spectacle of the migrating swans and many of them that I have personally talked to are newbies to birds and are out there for the very first time.

But newbie or not, this incredible moment in nature lights a spark in people to bring them to the refuge to view nature doing its thing, and that is where it has to start to help garner support to fight the ever-increasing threats to wildlife habitat all over the country.

So where exactly does a potential great blue heron rookery on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge fit into all of this?

Well, if it is done correctly where, similar to the rookery at Farmington Bay, people can come and view the nesting great blue herons from a safe but close enough distance to really enjoy the scene before them, it would be another “watchable wildlife” opportunity to help encourage people to get interested in nature, especially bird watching.

The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is already a good place to view great blue herons stalking the shallow wetlands or hunkering over a small hole in the ice during winter for an unsuspecting fish to swim by, but it could also be a great place for people to come see the miracle of nature being played out during the breeding season as well.

Great blue herons are colony nesters, meaning they nest in small to moderate-sized groups which adds a whole new level of wildlife viewing to the mix as they not only interact with their young but the other nesting herons around them.

It is a fascinating thing to watch as great blue herons build their nests, tend to their young, and defend their small patch of real estate from their neighbors.

And by having a great blue heron rookery built somewhere on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route where visitors can come to witness the miracle of nature each breeding season happen in real-time, it would be one more opportunity to teach the public about nature and help gather more support for protecting places such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge which, by the way, is, facing a real-world threat of losing more and more of the precious water that breathes life into the refuge as the State of Utah inches closer to pulling more and more water from the Bear River each year for other purposes.

If we are going to stand up and say “enough is enough” in situations such as this where, as one example, the Bear River Bird Refuge stands to lose a lot of critical water each year, people need to see what value protecting wetland habitats and the waters that feed them exist by coming and enjoying nature first-hand.

Now I am not naïve enough in thinking by just building a great blue heron rookery we are going to save the world’s wildlife, or even just stop the State of Utah from draining the river even more for that matter, but I am here to say we have to start somewhere to turn the tide in the fight to protect these incredible places such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

Truthfully, turning this tide starts at the ground level with getting people out in nature to experience it first hand and see for themselves why these areas need protecting.

It’s only a first step, mind you, but a most critical firs step, nevertheless.

The fight for nature isn’t as much a biological scuffle as it is a social and economic battle for the same resources, namely land and water that give a home to and supports a wide variety of wildlife.

And, in my opinion, this is where wildlife agencies need to focus more and more of their efforts in building up support from the public by offering unique wildlife viewing opportunities such as a great blue heron rookery, for example.

The greatest tool in the fight for wildlife is, in fact, the wildlife itself, but it is of little to no value in this ongoing battle if people aren’t getting out to view nature and see for themselves why we need to protect nature.

So, when it is all said and done, I hope anyone that reads this blog post would speak up and contact the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and voice support for a great blue heron rookery somewhere on the auto tour route as another watchable wildlife opportunity on the refuge.

I have already planted the seed for a great blue heron rookery being built on the refuge by mentioning it to them over the weekend, but I would hope and ask for other refuge supporters, photographers, and birders out there besides myself to also voice their support for this idea to the refuge management as well.

Subscribe

Regardless if you’re just starting out with bird watching or a full-fledged birder, I offer you to head on over to my subscribe page and sign up for email notifications for future blog posts about birds and nature, both on and off of the famed Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

I also encourage you to help us spread the word about birds and nature by sharing our posts with others on your favorite social media outlets and other places you visit online.

Bird watching is a most enjoyable activity and a great hobby anyone can enjoy no matter where they live.

And through this blog, I hope to help encourage more and more people to get interested in both bird watching and nature, as a whole, to help us protect and keep these places around for all to experience and enjoy.

American White Pelican Doormat. Visit our online store for more information and to make a purchase.