When renovation turns to conservation, a building plan takes flight

Environment, Swifts 1 Minute

Latest in a series of posts on the Swifts

Save Our Swifts GoFundMe page

“Something cool’s going to happen here.”
John Noble

“These birds are amazing.”
Jennie Gilrain

“What Mr. Noble is doing is so incredibly unusual and
incredibly good for the environment.”
Peter Saenger

“When renovation turns to conservation. A building plan that’s taking flight.”
Bo Koltnow

The Masonic Temple is coming down.

But plans to save the Swifts are rising.

The cause got a big boost last night with coverage by local and Philadelphia news media.

Take a look. Treat yourself.

Jim Friedman,  “Thousands of Chimney Swifts Alter Plans of Lehigh Valley Development Project.” NBC10 Philadelphia, December 29, 2020. (2 mins.)

Bo Koltnow. “Local developer says construction project delays worth the cost to save special type of bird.”  WFMZ Channel 69, December 29, 2020. (2 mins.)

Meet the principals again:

John Noble, developer, beaming like St Francis of Assisi

Jennie Gilrain, teacher by day, theatrical director by night,
already choreographing a Swift production

There’s a gofundme in our future, my followers!

to be continued . . .

———-

Save our Bethlehem Swifts:

ref: Bethlehem’s dolphins of the sky
ref: Gilrain gets scared
ref: The Noble family: “We will do everything we can to make sure that these birds are protected”
ref: Saving the Bethlehem Swifts: this is a worthy cause”
ref: Gilrain on the nest . . . hatching a plan

Published by The Bethlehem Gadfly

Edward J. Gallagher, Bethlehem immigrant, retired, nearly 50 years as Professor of American Literature at Lehigh University, known as "Dr. G" and "Conan the Grammarian" to students, whose virtual world avatar "EdwardScholarhands" stares at you here, has reinvented himself as the Bethlehem Gadfly.

Published

One thought on “When renovation turns to conservation, a building plan takes flight”

  1. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) manages the IUCN Redlist, the most recognized clearinghouse on population status for identified and studied species.

    Search the list for any species by common or scientific name at https://www.iucnredlist.org/ .

    If you do, you’ll see that the global breeding population of Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) is limited to eastern North America. And the species population is listed as Vulnerable.

    Every loss of species is permanent and nearly all directly or indirectly due to human development through loss or change of habitat, pollution, Global Warming, and introduction of nonnative and invasive species.

    Thank you to all for their actions to protect another species than just our own.

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