Hopes Dim for Yacolt, Washington, Wild Parrots

It's difficult following developments on the ground from 3,000 miles away. But I'm hearing only bad news from Yacolt, Washington, where Clark County Public Utilities Department and the U.S.D.A. attempted to eradicate wild parrots against the wishes of Yacol's community late last year.

Although the killing of the parrots stopped more than a month ago, fewer and fewer parrots are being sighted, suggesting the worst, which is that they have died a cruel death in the cold due to the continued nest removals that Clark County PUD has performed during this period.

This terribly cruel situation could have been avoided if the town of Yacolt and Clark County Public Utilities had followed best practices and not removed the parrot nests at one of the most perilous times of the year. Even in the midst of a terrible ice and snow storm, and even after pro-parrot activists notified the mayor, city council, and Clark County PUD of the dire effects of such continuing removals, the crews continued their work, sealing the parrots fate. There may still be a few surviving birds, but so far, none have been sighted in the alternative nesting platforms. So it seems that those who wished the parrots killed at the outset of this sad incident will get their way in a particularly cruel way.

This sad story could have had a much happier ending. But one cannot lay all the blame on the Yacolt politicians and the power company. Community efforts to negotiate a humane solution could have been more effective; from what I have heard from multiple sources, there appears to have been an unfortunate failure of leadership to effectively mobilize individuals, groups, both local and national, that could have stepped in to help avoid this bad ending.

It's tragic and ironic that just as people around the world began to learn that these remarkable birds gave them a reason to visit Yacolt (and provide a new source of eco-tourism revenue to the town and local businesses), it appears that the birds have succumbed to the elements, crushing an opportunity before it had a chance to bloom.