You can help make a difference by emailing support for the Great Blue Herons nesting at the Rochester heron rookery (photo by Paul Konrad).

Great Blue Herons are among the most iconic birds found in North America, appreciated by everyone. They are among the first birds that beginning birders learn to identify and everyone is excited to see these giant birds in flight or standing on the edge of a waterway. So when a large heron nesting rookery near Rochester, Minnesota, became the target of road and housing developers, local people raised their voices with a champion among them. Carrol Henderson has jumped into high gear to help local citizens save and protect the trees where about 40 Great Blue Heron pairs have built their nests for heron generations over 30 years.

Known far and wide in Minnesota and beyond, Carrol Henderson is responsible for such dramatic avian successes as re-establishing populations of Trumpeter Swans and Peregrine Falcons in the state, and now the herons need his immediate attention!

Now it’s a race to save the heron rookery before the last nestlings fledge and the rookery’s federal protection runs out. But Henderson remains undaunted by the ticking clock, and considering he knows everyone in Minnesota wildlife circles, and they all know his work and character well, Carrol will keep doing what he’s done all his life: Working hard, following his instincts, and always taking the next step to make a big difference.

Leal Segura, a leader of the Save The Rookery effort, called Henderson for advice in March when she, her husband, and their neighbors first became aware of development efforts in the woods where they live and where the Great Blue Herons nest. Therefore, for Segura, the fight is personal: She lives in the same house where she grew up alongside the nesting colony and where she became attached to the majestic birds. “But I never realized the qualities that made [the rookery] so unique for Minnesota before learning specifics from you,” Segura said to Henderson.

Great Blue Herons usually nest in trees along wetland areas, lakeshores, rivers, and islands, but this roughly 40-nest colony is well-established in the treetops of relatively dry woods along diminutive Cascade Creek. “It’s a nesting colony that has achieved a sense of adaptation to the upland forest that no other colony in Minnesota has done,” Henderson explained.

While walking quietly through the woods recently, Henderson and Segura noted that many of the trees supporting heron nests are marked with orange paint. The plan by developers is to remove these trees to build a winding road through the heron nesting colony, which has been there for more than 30 years. The road would lead to 10 single-family homes that are planned for a 30-acre portion of the forest.

While the project still needs permits, there’s little to stop the landowner from cutting down the trees. Although the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects the Great Blue Herons and their nests during their nesting season, after the herons leave, the nest trees are no longer protected by the Act. Residents and conservationists worry that as soon as the last of this year’s young herons fledge from the site, which should happen by the end of August at the latest, chainsaws will destroy this biologically important Great Blue Heron nesting rookery.

But not if Carrol, Leal. and the growing team of supporters can turn the tide and enlighten all parties involved about the importance and the plight of this valuable Rochester resource. And you can join the team by lending your voice to the efforts as soon as possible:

For more information about the Save The Rookery organization, developed specifically to protect the biologically important Great Blue Heron rookery in Rochester, see https://savetherookery.org/

Please consider supporting the cause in a big way simply by emailing Rochester Township Board Members with the simple message: “Please protect the Great Blue Heron nesting rookery!” or whatever you wish to write, with your name, city, and state at https://www.rochester-township.com/town_board/members.php

To read the original Audubon article about Carrol Henderson and the Rochester heron rookery, you can refer to https://www.audubon.org/news/sure-hes-retired-conservation-legend-isnt-slowing-down