Amador County – The Amador County Unified School District board is expected to discuss the alleged destruction of swallow nests at Amador High School during their next board meeting. Plymouth resident and Veterinarian Elida Malick raised the issue during last week’s meeting. A source at the district told Malick on Friday that they investigated the site of the alleged destruction twice on one day and discovered that a nest had been removed and one bird was “caught behind the nets” near the eaves. The source said they asked for a response to Malick’s presentation by the administration, leading to the addition of the agenda item next week. Malick said she raised the issue during public comment because the board has “repeatedly refused” to add it as a regular agenda item. Malick urged an end to the practice, which she says began in response to one parent who threatened to sue the district, claiming their child might be sensitive to Histoplasma, a fungus sometimes carried by birds. Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County Public Health Officer, verified that there have been no cases of Histoplasma reported in Amador County. Malick said that for many years, a colony of native swallows have been completing their southern migration by returning to the eaves of the backside of the school’s gymnasium. She said the nest destruction is a violation of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918, which makes it unlawful to kill, hunt or capture over 800 species of migrating birds. The board said they would investigate the issue. The next school board meeting is scheduled for May 26 at 7 p.m. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.-
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Amador County – The Amador County Unified School District board is expected to discuss the alleged destruction of swallow nests at Amador High School during their next board meeting. Plymouth resident and Veterinarian Elida Malick raised the issue during last week’s meeting. A source at the district told Malick on Friday that they investigated the site of the alleged destruction twice on one day and discovered that a nest had been removed and one bird was “caught behind the nets” near the eaves. The source said they asked for a response to Malick’s presentation by the administration, leading to the addition of the agenda item next week. Malick said she raised the issue during public comment because the board has “repeatedly refused” to add it as a regular agenda item. Malick urged an end to the practice, which she says began in response to one parent who threatened to sue the district, claiming their child might be sensitive to Histoplasma, a fungus sometimes carried by birds. Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County Public Health Officer, verified that there have been no cases of Histoplasma reported in Amador County. Malick said that for many years, a colony of native swallows have been completing their southern migration by returning to the eaves of the backside of the school’s gymnasium. She said the nest destruction is a violation of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918, which makes it unlawful to kill, hunt or capture over 800 species of migrating birds. The board said they would investigate the issue. The next school board meeting is scheduled for May 26 at 7 p.m. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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