Defence Department fined $10K for destroying nest of threatened hawk species
Fine stems from incident where a ferruginous hawk's nest was toppled in southern Alberta
The Department of National Defence was fined $10,000 earlier this month for destroying an active ferruginous hawk nest in southern Alberta last year.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced the fine on Wednesday after the Department of National Defence pleaded guilty to two charges under the Species at Risk Act.
The fine was handed out on July 9 in the Alberta Court of Justice after ECCC was informed in April 2024 of the nest's destruction at the Canadian Forces Base Suffield, roughly 46 km northwest of Medicine Hat, Alta.
The fine stems from an incident where the Defence Department used heavy operating equipment to remove fencing. In the area where this work was being done, nest material, eggs and tracks from heavy operating equipment were found, according to a report received by ECCC.
When ECCC enforcement officers investigated, they found that while the department was removing fencing, the nest, its platform and three eggs were destroyed, resulting in the loss of developing hawks. They also found the incident occurred despite existing internal policies and procedures designed to protect threatened species on site.
Ferruginous hawks, which are the largest hawk in North America, are listed as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act. Its population is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000, according to ECCC, based on surveys specifically targeting nesting ferruginous hawks.
The department was found to violate two subsections of the Species at Risk Act that respectively prohibit killing, harming or harassing an individual of a threatened wildlife species, and damaging or destroying the residence of one or more individuals of a threatened species.
From the total fine issued, $9,500 will be directed to the federal government's Environmental Damages Fund, and $500 will go toward the Receiver General for Canada.
In Alberta's 2024 ferruginous hawk recovery plan, the province notes the hawks were listed as threatened beginning in 2009, and outlines various recovery and conservation efforts surrounding the species it has worked toward.
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