Officials with the state Department of Natural Resources said that construction can continue on a rail expansion project in La Crosse after they found an endangered bird will not be impacted in a major way by the project.
BNSF Railway is adding a second track through La Crosse, which runs through the city’s marsh. The marsh is occasionally home to the black tern, an endangered, gull-like bird whose population has been declining for decades. According to the DNR, one of the reasons for the declining numbers might be because of the loss of freshwater marsh habitat that the birds nest in.
Some area residents have opposed the expansion project, saying it could harm the bird.
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The DNR has proposed issuing an incidental take that would allow construction to continue since it wouldn’t jeopardize the black tern’s overall existence or recovery.
DNR conservation biologist Lisie Kitchel said no black terns have appeared yet this year in the marsh.
“They’re not a consistent nester,” she said. “They’re sporadic users of that marsh. We have other places where they’ve consistently use, like at Horicon and up in the Winnebago system, where they nest every year.”
Kitchel said if black terns do come to the La Crosse River marsh this spring, they’ll likely avoid the construction site. If they decide to nest near the tracks, DNR officials could halt construction.
BNSF Railway has agreed to clearing invasive plants that are harmful to black tern in the construction zone’s right of way.
The public can comment on the incidental take through April 30.
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