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Baby Ducks
Bountiful green spaces and dynamic waterways are one of the great reasons to love our City. These natural resources are home to a vast array of wildlife all year long, including many different species of waterfowl. Whether around the Lake at the Commons, at the wetlands, or floating on the Tualatin River, residents, visitors, and City staff alike delight in observing our feathered friends.
Each spring, Tualatin's ducks welcome their babies and make the trek to the water. Since ducks are so common in our urban environment, mother ducks are often forced to nest far away from a water source. This means that they might have to walk their babies miles to get to water. While it isn't uncommon to see a mother leading her ducklings across a street, parking lot, or other places around town, it can be nerve-wracking! We want to see these fuzzy friends make it safely to their destinations.
Thanks to action from concerned residents, the City's Street, Storm, and Sewer Division has been able to pilot a program to mitigate one of the most common hazards that urban ducks have to navigate - storm drains. Storm drains collect water runoff from our streets and parking lots and discharge into local waterways. Mother ducks are able to walk over these grates successfully, but ducklings are often small enough to fall inside and become trapped.
Public Works crews install mesh "guards" directly underneath the metal grates in on approximately 10 storm drain hotspots around the City. Using mesh allows for water to still flow, but should prevent the ducklings from falling through. Installing the guard mesh gives them a chance to jump out or be picked up by their mothers and continue on their journey to the water!
Now an annual operation, "Operation Baby Duck" is a direct response to calls to action from Tualatin residents. We'd like to give a special thanks to Ramsay, your friendly Ride Connection Blue Line driver, for connecting not only with the City about the baby ducks, but with Tualatin Riverkeepers and the Audubon Society as well.
Yet another example of how important resident engagement is for Tualatin - we can do great things, both big and small, when we share ideas and work together. Please keep in touch!
Curious about baby ducks?
