Dipper nest halts bridge construction at Hermosa Creek

CDOT photo A dipper sits on a rock in Hermosa Creek.
CDOT photo A dipper sits on a rock in Hermosa Creek.

The Colorado Department of Transportation has postponed work on the U.S. 550 bridge at Hermosa Creek in the Animas Valley north of Durango at MP 32.

An active American Dipper nest, protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) was found on the bridge structure. Under the MBTA, any active nest containing an egg or young can not be removed or interfered with to prevent displacing the b…