Outcry erupts in Edgewater over removal of trees that are home to wild parakeets

Edgewater monk parakeet doing some repairs to its nest. EDGEWATER — The borough has begun to cut down several trees that are home to many of its famed wild parakeets, angering some residents who fear the birds could die without shelter during the cold winter or become an easy snack for the hawks and falcons that circle the Palisades.

Borough Administrator Greg Franz downplayed those concerns Tuesday, predicting that the parakeets will fly away unharmed and construct new nests nearby while crews remove the trees — a necessary step, he said, before workers can begin repairing a retaining wall along Route 5.

A crew hired by the borough had already taken down one of three targeted trees before work was halted Monday afternoon when residents questioned whether the contractors had the correct permits. Franz said the tree removal will resume soon, but would not say when.

Life in Edgewater has never been easy for this colony of monk parakeets. Utility crews have torn up many nests over the years as they cleared them from poles. Harsh winter storms have killed many of the birds.

But some residents say the borough’s tree-removal plan poses the most dangerous threat to an animal that has given Edgewater a bit of notoriety.

“Coming in with chainsaws and cutting down three trees that hold so much life… is irresponsible,” said Michelle Lynn Schotanus, a longtime Edgewater resident.

They once were an oddity — a colony of colorful birds normally associated with the tropics, or the tight confines of a pet store cage, that somehow began living year-round in a northerly, densely-populated community beginning in the 1970s. Theories vary on how a species native to South America came to New Jersey, but one that has gained traction over the years suggests that the birds escaped from a shipping crate at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the 1960s.

Since then, the parakeets have become such a fixture in Edgewater that you’ll find photos of them gracing Web pages for borough chat rooms, and dozens of online videos documenting their survival.

“I’m 43 and they’ve been in my life since I was 9,” said Schotanus, who lives near the targeted trees. “They’re a wonderful part of this town.”

Franz said the adoration is not universal.

“For as many calls as we get to protect the parrots, we get double from people asking to get them out of here because of all the noise they make,” he said.

Three of the four trees clustered in a small green space along Route 5 area have long been a home for the parrots. They are very tall and are wrapped in Atlantic Ivy, which helps the birds anchor their large communal nests, said Alison Evans-Fragale, the founder of the Edgewater Parrots Society.

But they’re clustered right next to a retaining wall that partially collapsed during a heavy storm several years ago. The trees — all of which are dead — need to be removed so the stone wall can be replaced, Franz said. He doesn’t think the parrots will be in danger.

“They are very resourceful,” Franz said. “They will have a new home within hours. As soon as the utility company comes along and removes a nest, those parrots are building another one on the next pole.”

On Monday, a tree service crew hired by the borough began taking down the four trees, upsetting several nearby residents.

Evans-Fragale told borough officials and the tree company that they couldn’t do any work without first obtaining a depredation control permit from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife. The permit allows workers to remove animals from their habitat.

Work was halted Monday afternoon after only one tree, which had a nest, was cut down.

Franz said Tuesday that the borough has the correct permit that allows it to remove trees with monk parakeet nests provided that the nests are checked for eggs and young birds, which must be turned over to the Division of Fish and Wildlife if they are found.

Evans-Fragale asked Franz to delay the tree removal by only a few days so that the parrot society could build nesting platforms and put them in nearby trees, giving the parrots a new home.

“There is a way to do this that’s free from cruelty,” Evans-Fragale said.

These types of platforms worked in Ridgefield a few years ago when parrot nests on the Hendricks Causeway Bridge over Railroad Avenue had to be removed before repairs to the bridge could begin. Evans-Fragale said the platforms would also dissuade the parrots from nesting on utility poles, a potential hazard for birds, nearby residents and utility workers alike.

While the parrots may have many local fans, the state still considers them pests and labels them “potentially dangerous” for their ability to destroy grain and fruit crops. But over the course of 20 years, the parrots have not migrated beyond Ridgefield and show no sign of posing a biological threat, supporters say.

A bill that would remove the “dangerous” label was passed unanimously by the Assembly in 2006, but was never acted upon by the state Senate. Although it has been reintroduced at least twice since, the bill has never made it out of committee.

The state views the parakeets as “nothing more than a rat,” Evans-Fragale said. “If you know these birds…. they’re highly intelligent, industrious, loving parents.”