RMP On Line Archive

Fourteen-year-old Enoch Jones recently flew over the last big hurdle to achieving his Eagle Scout award. Enoch’s “Eagle project” will provide safe places for hawks and other raptors to rest and hatch eggs in the spring. Fitting for a prospective Eagle to help out other big birds, right?

Enoch and members of his Eagle Mountain, Utah scout troop spent two evenings building nesting boxes for raptors that are common to the area. (Living in a place called Eagle Mountain, you can see why he chose this project!) Then Enoch found out the neighboring community of Saratoga Springs had a couple of good spots already picked out for nesting boxes and would appreciate his help.

I was able to be there when two of the poles were set in place near the Saratoga Springs Marina on the northwest shore of Utah Lake, and captured it all on video.

Rocky Mountain Power distribution manager Johnny Barnes and lineman Dean Flygare volunteered their time to help set the poles in the ground, along with Flygare’s son-in-law, Matt Felix. The City of Saratoga Springs provided the labor and transportation to move the poles, and gravel used to backfill the holes once the poles were in place.

Enoch and the other scouts pitched in by shoveling and tamping down the gravel. (They have stronger backs than us old guys!)

At Rocky Mountain Power, we like to help out with projects like this that benefit the communities we serve and wildlife habitat. We've participated in many similar efforts over the years.

Sometimes we’re able to plan ahead, but other times our employees have to act fast to make a difference. Here's a recent example:

Wyoming osprey rescue
Mike Wright works for the company as a lineman in Pinedale, Wyoming. Earlier this month, Mike teamed up with Bernie Holz of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department to rescue an osprey that had become entangled in its nesting material. Check out Cat Urbigkit’s amazing photo storyboard on the Pinedale Online website.

We have three pet birds at our house, a lovebird and two parakeets. So I’m in favor of anything we can do to make life better for our feathered friends.