Dear Editor,

A bit of Nature’s magic has gone out of our town.

For 20 plus years, Nederland Post Office patrons have enjoyed the spring drama of swallows arriving from South America to build their nests under the eaves, hatch their eggs, and feed their young. They can be messy, but for many of us, the delight of witnessing this drama unfold, up close, has been well worth it.

This year – in violation of federal law protecting migratory species and their nests, and ignoring protests from patrons – the postmaster and staff decided to illegally destroy those nests, to save themselves the trouble of cleaning up after them. We watched the swallows frantically trying to rebuild in time to lay their eggs, but staff continued to wipe out their efforts.

Now they have put up screens, preventing any future attempts to nest.

So we’ve lost that bit of magic that Nature had gifted to us, and our post office is more sterile.

Post Office staff probably means well, and is serving those who value neatness above all else. But for the rest of us, it’s a sad development.

Arden Buck

Nederland