PROJECT 7 – 2005 DAWSON SPRINGS SCHOOL OSPREY PLATFORMS

A few ospreys have been observed at Pennyrile Lake at Pennyrile State Resort Park and at Lake Beshear near Dawson Springs in Western Kentucky. So far, an osprey nest has not been found at these locations. To involve a new school and provide for the possible expansion of the Lake Barkley nesting population, Dawson Springs School system funded an osprey project for students. KEEP and volunteers installed one new free standing osprey platform at Pennyrile Lake and one new free standing platform at Lake Beshear. The Kentucky Tech Vocational School students located in Caldwell County constructed the platforms. These platforms were placed in the lake proper which is more difficult to accomplish compared to placing free standing platforms on land at mid-lake islands that later flood around the base of the platform support pipe. The Pennyrile and Lake Beshear platforms are checked each year but so far ospreys have not nested at these locations about thirty air miles east of Lake Barkley. Although ospreys have not nested at these sites, it is important for other schools to become involved in conservation projects. Students realize that they have helped prepare their local lakes for future possible osprey nesting. All teachers and students can use the Internet osprey cam project to follow the osprey nesting process in their school classrooms as several schools are advising KEEP that they are doing. Schools and other organizations that are or may observe ospreys at their local lakes are invited to contact KEEP, Inc. to request a possible osprey-nesting project in their area.