Herons' fans say North Aurora fireworks show needlessly close to nesting area
On the Fox River Trail in North Aurora, blue herons and egrets have found a spot to hatch and raise their babies.
They've created a rookery in trees on an island south of the Red Oak Nature Center. The center is on the east bank of the Fox River.
But come Saturday night, bird-enthusiasts fear booming fireworks may startle and scare the birds, leading to injuries and abandonment of their young in the nests.
Julie Honeyman of St. Charles said Thursday she can't believe the village fireworks show is again staging near the nests after she told officials two years ago about the rookery. There was no show in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fireworks will be launched from the trail. People will watch them from Riverfront Park, farther south.
Honeyman sees the dozen or so nests on her daily bicycle ride on the trail.
After the last show, she didn't see birds there for at least a week.
"It's just a huge disturbance to these animals that don't understand," Honeyman said. "It's amazing how much it (the fireworks show) affects them."
She said the noise, the flashing lights, and the smoke that lingers in the river valley bother the birds.
Honeyman said she suggested, in emails to village officials, moving the fireworks elsewhere, such as one of the large parking lots at shopping centers near Randall Road.
"Something that's not around so much nature," she said.
North Aurora Village President Mark Gaffino said the village took the complaints seriously. He and other officials walked the trail from the park to the rookery, and measured the launch distance at more than 1,800 feet. They also checked with officials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, he said.
"I am an animal-lover too," Gaffino said. "I certainly don't want to harm anything."
Vicki Weiland, director of Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife, said 1,800 feet is "not very far."
"It's baby season now. It's just mind-boggling," she said. Weiland plans to be near the site on Saturday to rescue any injured birds.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requires professional fireworks shows to be at least three-quarters of a mile - about 3,960 feet - from any protected habitat, but the North Aurora site is not protected. Fish and Wildfire says when adults abandon young in the nest, the young are more vulnerable to predators.
In May, the village board decided to keep the fireworks show near the river rather than moving the festivities to Jewel Middle School on Waterford Road. The school is bounded on three sides by a residential neighborhood and a field on the fourth side. According to meeting minutes, some trustees said residents who live near the school might be disturbed by the show.
When the village had fireworks during its North Aurora Days festivals, it was at a small shopping center at Oak Street and Randall Road. But Gaffino said because the show was close to buildings, fire laws required using smaller shells - half the size of the ones to be used Saturday.
Gaffino said the board will likely discuss the matter again.
"It's not like we're not believing them (critics), or blowing them off ... It didn't fall on deaf ears," he said.