3M donates $15,000 for Sandy Ridge eagle cam

A new camera to observe bald eagles is in the works for Sandy Ridge Reservation.

3M Elyria on Dec. 19 awarded a $15,000 grant to Lorain County Metro Parks to support the new “Eagle Cam” at Sandy Ridge Reservation, 6195 Otten Road in North Ridgeville.

The park has been home to two bald eagles for more than a decade. The pair has birthed several eaglets over the years and they have become a draw for bird enthusiasts from all over Ohio, according to Lorain County Metro Parks.

“The park district has wanted to install an Eagle Cam at Sandy Ridge for some time,” said Metro Parks Director James E. Ziemnik. “Through the generosity of 3M Elyria we will be able to make this project happen. The educational opportunities associated with this project will benefit students throughout Northeast Ohio.”

The camera will use wireless technology and will be installed to give a view into the nest of the eagles, Ziemnik said.

The installation will take place in the spring as park staff do not want to disturb the birds or the nest, he said. The view will be displayed at www.MetroParks.cc.

The camera will be the first of its kind for the Metro Parks, but there are others trained on bird nests and wildlife habitat around the country, Ziemnik said.

One 3M employee explained how her daughter made daily reports from camera observations of a nest in Pennsylvania, as part of a class in Avon schools, he said.

The Sandy Ridge aerie is the second home of the eagles that live there, Ziemnik said. The first was blown down during high winds of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, but the eagles stayed and moved to an existing man-made nest at the reservation.

“We’re just really excited that we’ll be able to do this in Lorain County,” Ziemnik said. “A number of teachers have already expressed great interest in this.”

The park district’s naturalists have developed programs that will use the camera feed and video vignettes captured through the eagle’s life cycle to educate students and park visitors about the local eagles. Bald eagles also are the national symbol of the United States.