A retired biologist in Salmon Arm is raising awareness about a repeat issue that has arisen in the past two weeks along the foreshore.
Dianne has volunteered with SABNES and the Shuswap Naturalists for the past six years and describes the deliberate intent to harm birds nesting on Nature Trust lands in the bay on AM1150's Early Edition.
A total of 22 bird boxes on the SA foreshore have been vandalized in the past two weeks.
These bird houses are part of a conservation project conducted jointly by SABNES and the Shuswap Naturalists.
The nests contained within these boxes are protected by law and the potential fines accrued by the perpetrator so far are in the thousands of dollars.
This project has been a community effort, made possible by donors, volunteers, and the Outdoor school, whose students built the boxes.
The swallows who rely on the boxes for raising young are declining across Canada.
"They eat flying insects in massive quantities, especially mosquitoes, so they are highly beneficial to our entire community. Weighing less than 20 grams, it is difficult to imagine how anyone could wish them harm," said Dianne.
"It is clear the individual(s) responsible is bearing a malicious grudge. The evidence left at the scenes has conveyed a clear message that can only be described as cruel and cowardly."
Dozens of angry volunteers are now on the lookout for the perpetrator(s) to catch them in the act.
"We can speculate on the reason or reasons but what's important right now is that the birds are allowed to lay eggs and raise their young during this very narrow window of opportunity."