Cracker? Polly may want a packer ...
Parrot refuge yakking its way out of a home
The macaws, cockatiels, Amazons and other parrots at the Gabriel Foundation's sanctuary near Glenwood Springs may have to find a new home.
Part of the problem is that the nearly 200 birds can put up quite a squawk.
By Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News
May 8, 2004
The macaws, cockatiels, Amazons and other parrots at the Gabriel Foundation's sanctuary near Glenwood Springs may have to find a new home.
Part of the problem is that the nearly 200 birds can put up quite a squawk.
After months of noise studies, boundary surveys, a septic-system review and interviews, the Roaring Fork Planning Commission said no Thursday to a request for a special- use permit.
"We feel like we lost a round, but the fight isn't over," said Coral Dillon, a foundation spokeswoman. "We're going to take it to the Eagle County commissioners."
The county commissioners will visit the site in late June and vote on the permit, said Cliff Simonton, an Eagle County planner.
The sanctuary started a few miles away in Pitkin County, but that county denied the refuge a special-use permit.
The Gabriel Foundation moved to Emma, located near El Jebel, and filed for a special-use permit to expand the operation in Eagle County.
"There is a tremendous merit to what the Gabriel Foundation does, but it may not be a compatible use in that area," Simonton said.
"We may have to move, but the foundation will not fold," Dillon said. "We're hoping we can meet the concerns head-on."
No one is sure how much of the 7-acre refuge is on Eagle County land, and the planning commission told the foundation to figure it out.
"We have a little difficulty in seeing how that is our responsibility," Dillon said. "We think that's something the county should find out about."
Simonton said builders and developers in the county were required to hire a professional surveyor to determine property lines.
The Gabriel Foundation was founded to take in parrots, many which live for more than 100 years, when owners die or lose interest.
Dillon said the refuge was going to limit parrot numbers in the future and has placed several birds in adoptive homes.
The owner of the rental home next door complained about the noise from the refuge during the summer months, when the birds spend the day in outdoor cages and flyways.
"We are very open to doing what we can," Dillon said.
Taken from:
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_2869613,00.html
http://www.freeparrots.net/article.php?story=20040510060626536