Osprey nesting pole restored in Kings Park

A new osprey nesting pole and platform has been installed at Nissequogue River State Park in Kings Park to replace one damaged by superstorm Sandy, state parks and PSEG Long Island officials said.

The New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation reached out to PSEG to have the pole and platform restored before next year's spring nesting season begins, officials said. Installation was completed on Thursday.

Wayne R. Horsley, regional director of the Long Island state park system, said the park aims to balance patrons' recreational activities with the protection of natural resources.

"Replacing the damaged pole and platform does both of those beautifully," Horsley said in a news release. "Ospreys are a favorite among park patrons and the project will provide another nest site."

Ospreys are considered a species of concern on watch lists but not endangered, Horsley said.

State parks typically replace the nesting poles, Horsley said, but the Kings Park location in wetlands made this one difficult to replace. "This one will withstand the storms of the future," he said.

PSEG Long Island covered the costs of the replacement through its profits and not through ratepayers, a spokeswoman said. A dollar figure was not available.

The replacement provides a safe nesting area for the osprey away from electrical infrastructure, PSEG officials said.

Ospreys often use utility poles and transmission structures for nesting, which jeopardizes system reliability, causes outages, damages equipment and puts the birds with their large wingspans in danger of electrocution, officials said.

"We recognize the importance that Long Island's osprey population has on the overall ecology of the area," said John O'Connell, PSEG Long Island's vice president for transmission and distribution, in a news release.

From the 1950s through the 1970s, Long Island's osprey population decreased and became endangered, state officials said. The effort to build safe nesting sites on or near waterways has contributed to the rise in the population, they said.

The osprey measures 22 to 25 inches, with a wingspan of 4 to 6 feet, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.