Ayooluwa Odeyinka: Why you should care about saving the rookery
Unless we each take steps to stop the development plans from going through, we will have to say goodbye to a well-known gift from nature.
By Ayooluwa Odeyinka
Post Bulletin, January 04, 2022
In Southwest Rochester lies the famous blue heron rookery, known all over the state for its unique placement in an upland area. This rookery has been there for decades and is home to 40 or more blue heron nests. The blue heron is so important to the Rochester community that one of our youth baseball teams is being named after them.
The problem, however, is that the rookery is in danger of destruction. On the land the famous birds call home, there are currently development plans that upon execution will destroy the great blue heron nesting site. If the site is destroyed, the birds won’t return, since they will no longer have a home here in Rochester. Despite public outcry from many in the community, including the local rookery conservation group Save the Rookery at a meeting in early November, the township voted unanimously to allow the development plans to go forward.
Save the Rookery is also the parent organization of the Youth Rookies, a youth organization working towards the same goal: to prevent the destruction of the blue heron rookery. Our generation is one where youth activism creates change. Unlike previous generations, we are well aware that our voices matter and can affect the events that take place in our communities. The Youth Rookies are primarily made up of current students and recent graduates from the three high schools who have banded together to prevent the destruction of the rookery. Through poster making, social media posts, and meeting attendance, they have made their voices heard throughout southeastern Minnesota.
Now, you may be asking yourselves, "Why should I care if the nests are destroyed?" Between the years 1967 and 2019, Minnesota has seen a 50% decrease in great blue herons, and an even more dramatic rate of decline since the year 2000. The decline we’re seeing is primarily due to habitat loss/ destruction. As citizens of southeastern Minnesota, we are unintentionally making the decision to allow our local blue heron rookery to become part of those startling statistics.
When it comes to ways to help, many have been made available through the organization Save the Rookery. Currently, they are working to raise money to buy the land that the rookery is on, as well as to install a heron cam, which will be used to livestream the birds in their nests this spring. In addition to monetary support, there will also be a demonstration outside of the city-county Government Center during the Olmsted County commissioners' meeting at 4 p.m. Jan. 18.
In the meantime, the best way to take action is by calling and emailing the township board members.
The destruction of wildlife habitats is something that should concern us all, rather than just a handful of people. When speaking to adults in my life about the issue, it seems like the general public isn’t too familiar with the situation. The name “blue heron" always rings a bell, but very few people that I've spoken to have been aware of the development plans. Before a summary of the situation by my math teacher earlier this school year, I was in the same boat as them.
Now, thanks to the efforts of a few, the eyes of our community are starting to open up to an issue that threatens our local wildlife.
Ayooluwa Odeyinka is a senior at John Marshall High School.
Ayooluwa Odeyinka