Osprey Nest Forces Apple Valley High to Reschedule Night Games to Daytime

Apple Valley High School in Minnesota has faced an unusual disruption to its fall sports season due to a pair of ospreys that have built a large nest atop the stadium's floodlight pole. The protected birds, which are subject to both state and federal wildlife laws, have forced the school—whose athletic team is known as the Eagles—to reschedule all night games to daylight matches. Artificial lighting at the stadium posed both a fire risk and a potential threat to the nesting birds, prompting a careful, coordinated response from school officials and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) [2].

The athletic director, Cory Hanson, described the situation as both surprising and challenging. “When you tell someone this story of ‘Wow, we have to reschedule because there’s an osprey nest in our stadium,’ they’re like, ‘You can’t make this type of stuff up, right?’” he remarked [2]. The ospreys were first discovered in June, and drone monitoring has since revealed up to four chicks in the nest. Once the young birds begin to take flight, officials will evaluate whether the nest can be safely removed, allowing the stadium to resume its traditional Friday night lighting for games [2].

Ospreys are known for selecting high, open structures for nesting, including utility poles and towers. These nests can grow quite large—up to 10 feet in depth—and are often reinforced each season. While ospreys pose no direct threat to humans, their presence at the stadium has created logistical challenges for the school. The DNR confirmed the nest’s location and emphasized that disturbing it would violate existing protections [2].

School officials are working with the DNR to relocate the nest to a designated platform on campus after the chicks fledge. The hope is that the ospreys will continue to return to the area in future years, but without interfering with the school's scheduling. To prevent similar issues, deterrents will be installed on the floodlights to discourage future nesting [2].

The situation underscores the balance between sports and wildlife conservation, with local officials demonstrating flexibility in the face of an unexpected challenge. As the young ospreys begin to leave the nest and gain independence, Apple Valley High School anticipates returning to its regular schedule, having navigated a unique disruption caused by nature [2].