A light pole, an osprey nest and a simple solution

Our BC Works operations stretch more than 400 kilometres across northwest British Columbia, from the smelter in Kitimat to our hydroelectric assets in the Nechako Watershed.

Each spring, a pair of osprey returns to nest on a light pole at our site. Osprey only settle where they can find what they need to survive and raise their young. This includes clean water, reliable food sources and suitable habitat.

“Birds only nest where the habitat can support them,” April, a longtime Kitimat birder and member of the Kitimat Valley Naturalists, explained.

“If the osprey keep coming back, it means the environment is healthy.”

April

The naturalist behind the knowledge

April’s path into birding began in the 1980s. One day, her kids ran to her asking about a “weird chicken” wandering through their garden. That bird turned out to be a whimbrel, blown far off course during a freak May snowstorm.

That moment sparked a lifelong passion and she’s been an invaluable voice for local wildlife ever since.

Innovating to find a safe solution

When lighting in the employee parking area needed to be improved, disturbing the nest wasn’t an option so our team found another way.

With April's knowledge and our environment team’s oversight, the maintenance team created and installed a new light fixture several feet lower on the pole, improving visibility for employees while leaving the nest untouched. Lowering the fixture had an added benefit: it reduced heat exposure, helping protect the eggs and chicks.

A pair of osprey nesting on top of a light pole at BC Works.

It was a simple solution, but an important one.

The new fixture helps keep people safe when bears wander into our parking lots while protecting a species closely tied to the waterways around Kitimat. “It was a big win,” shares Darren, a maintenance supervisor. “We got our lighting, and the osprey kept their home.”

Simple, site‑level solutions can make a real difference for wildlife.

In other places, the challenge is larger and so is the response. Like at our Winu project in Western Australia, where we’re working with Traditional Owners, environmental and special interest groups to protect the habitat of the night parrot, one of the world’s rarest birds.