POWERGRAMS

ENVIRONMENT Martin Dam employees recently gave Mother Nature a helping hand, stepping in to assist an osprey pair make their home at the dam. Taking a liking to the plant's 25-foot-tall lift crane, the raptors had begun dropping large sticks around the equipment – evidence they were seeking a nesting site, said Plant Superintendent Billy Bryan. It was easy for Bryan to see that the ospreys – which prefer nesting in tall trees or high, craggy cliffs – considered the crane a safe site. Also known as sea hawks, ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey that prefer to live near their food source. The birds seasonally nest at Lake Harris, many miles upstream from Martin Hydro Plant, where Harris Superintendent Tom Hoggle and his Hydro employees see quite a few ospreys. The birds' selection of the crane was unfortunate, Bryan said, because the equipment is needed for plant maintenance. "I knew right away what the ospreys had in mind," said Bryan, who has worked at Martin for three years of his 25-year career with Alabama Power. "Ospreys build huge nests from sticks and it was easy to tell they liked this location." With the ospreys hanging around, Bryan and other employees noticed a nest on nearby Blue Creek, about 5 river miles from the dam. He asked Environmental Affairs Supervisor Jason Carlee about the birds' habits and learned it was late in the season for an osprey pair to nest. "I didn't want them building on the crane itself, so we decided to help them out," Bryan said. He ordered materials, and Martin Hydro Journeymen Bart Amason, Doug Daniel, Danny Nixon and Plant Auxiliary Chris Bagwell assembled two 4-by-4 foot wire mesh pallets that can easily contain the weight of a large nest. "We made the pallets from substantial metal, so they will last a very long time," Bryan said. Bryan and his team formed a partnership with Power Delivery, calling on Dadeville Distribution Crew Foreman Donald Macon for assistance. Macon tapped Lineman Coy Thomas, who helped locate and deliver to Martin two retired, 30-foot-tall wood poles in storage at the Dadeville Warehouse. The materials were more than 5 years old and not suitable for customer installations. To add stability to the pallets, Martin employees braced them to the poles. On July 31, Thomas and Apprentice Lineman Daniel Moseley set the poles, complete with pallets, near Lake Martin, on the east and west sides of the dam. "We made sure the poles and platforms were very near the water, away from traffic," said Thomas, who has worked in Power Delivery for seven years. While helping to prepare a nesting site was "a first" for Thomas, he hopes the undertaking proves successful. "I'm anxious to see if this works," he said. "I live about 15 minutes away in Tallassee, and I'll definitely go back to the plant to see if this works." Bryan said he understands why the ospreys would select Lake Martin as their home: It's perfectly beautiful. "It's just natural," Bryan said. "I've lived on Lake Martin for 25 years, and I love it. I just love the lake, playing with my three grandchildren – all boys who love the water. There's nothing like jumping into the water on a hot, summer day. There's nowhere like Lake Martin." By Donna Cope Photos by Bill Snow Employees lend a hand to ospreys searching for nests on Lake Martin At top, an osprey flies to nest it built atop hazard sign in Lake Martin. At bottom, Alabama Power employees built a nest stand near Martin Dam to keep ospreys from building nests on equipment at the hydro plant. PAGE55

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